Former President Donald Trump said he was thrilled that Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
“Thank you!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
Trump campaign spokesman Daniel Alvarez confirmed to The Washington Post that the comment was about Waltz.
Following Harris’ announcement, the Trump campaign immediately launched attacks on the Minnesota governor, slamming his “hard-left” record on dealing with immigration, gender, COVID-19 and Minnesota’s stance on the unrest following the death of George Floyd.
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are open border, soft on crime and anti-police liberals — the most radical far-left candidates in the history of our country,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.
“Waltz support Illegal immigrants call police racist Violent criminals In 2020, we let the mob burn the Twin Cities, and Kamala stepped in. Collect bail money.”
“By selecting Tim Walz as her running mate, Kamala Harris has not only caved to the far left, she has doubled down on dangerously liberal, weak and failed policies,” said Brian Hughes, an adviser to Trump.
“Waltz will endorse Kamala as she continues to wage war on America’s energy, aid and abet border invasions, and embolden our enemies as the world teeters on the brink of World War III,” Hughes said. “Americans will reject the Harris-Waltz pairing and choose to Make America Great Again by electing President Trump!”
Republicans have particularly criticized Gov. Walz for not taking stronger action after rioters committed looting and set fires in Minneapolis following Floyd’s death at the hands of police in 2020.
“Tim Walz is the perfect choice for Kamala Harris,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) wrote on X. “He allowed BLM rioters, arsonists and looters to run wild in our state, while she encouraged donations to bail funds for the few people who were arrested.”
Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called Walz an “unbridled leftist” and an “Ilhan Omar-esque Democrat who puts ideology above all else.”
