Minnesota business owners who have been forced to close their doors amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and crime have issued a scathing rebuke to Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. They called him an “evil man” for his response to COVID-19.
“Walz is a total failure,” Greg Urban told “America Report” on Wednesday. “He’s an incredibly divisive leader. He shut down the state for almost two years. Anyone who goes against his rules, even if it’s just to open a coffee shop, will face a long prison sentence.”
Walz’s message of freedom clashes with his record of closing schools and mandating masks indoors because of the coronavirus
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris is greeted by Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz before speaking at a campaign event, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Urban, the owner of Wild Gregg’s Saloon, said his Minneapolis bar was unable to recover even after coronavirus lockdowns were eased, forcing him to close.
While Urban’s Austin, Texas, Pensacola and Lakeland, Florida, stores recovered relatively quickly, “there was no roadmap going forward” for Minneapolis, he told Fox News’ John Roberts.
“Minneapolis is a failing city and things aren’t getting better. Other cities have bounced back very quickly from COVID, but Minneapolis has been in the red every month. As a business owner, if you’re in the red for months on end, you have no choice but to close your business,” he said.
During his first term as governor, Walz oversaw Minnesota’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and supported strict restrictions, including lockdowns and mask mandates. The Walz administration also established a hotline for residents to report any residents who violated COVID-19 mandates. FOX 9 Minneapolis reported at that time.
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“Waltz was a total dictator throughout that period. Not just a dictator, but a really evil person,” Urban said. “He actually made it illegal for families to gather together for Christmas and Thanksgiving, so if people saw their neighbors bringing in turkey legs on Thanksgiving, they could call a tip line and Waltz could send the Corona police to take them to jail.”
Walz’s handling of the pandemic has come under scrutiny after Democratic candidate Harris selected him as her running mate in 2024. Critics have also pointed to Walz’s response to the Black Lives Matter riots in Minneapolis after the killing of George Floyd in 2020 as a failure and a low point of his first term as governor.
Governor Walz has deployed the National Guard to try to stop the violence, including the burning of police stations, but Republican lawmakers have criticized the governor and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for moving too late.
The building caught fire during the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis. (Getty Images)
“He stood by and watched. He had all the tools to end the riots quickly, but he chose not to. He stood by and let the arson, the looting, the protests continue for days. It was really terrible for the city. The city has still not recovered.”
Urban said customers are afraid to come downtown and further criticized Walz for allowing rioters and criminals to run rampant.
“People were scared because of the crime. A lot of people were getting robbed,” he said. “Cars were being stolen, cars were being broken into, but there was no police. If you called the police, they might not respond unless it was a murder case, and [it could] It will take an hour or two. It was a very difficult time, but Tim Walz refused to provide state resources, state police, other cities, like Austin, Texas, that received some assistance from the state. Here in Minnesota, Tim Walz did not provide leadership to help Minneapolis.”
Comedian Michael Rapaport said Harris lost the vote to Israel: “I can’t support a party that supports these idiots.”
He said he’s heard people compare Walz to California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, but he doesn’t agree with that simplistic portrayal.
“I heard a comment yesterday that Walz is Newsom with less hair and wearing flannel, and I actually think Walz is more radical left than Gavin Newsom,” Urban said. “I don’t think it gets much attention in a state of 5 million people, but Tim Walz has been an absolute dictator.”
Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. (Glenn Stubb/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Urban also slammed Walz’s comments about individual freedoms at a rally with Harris on Tuesday.
“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices, even if we don’t make the same choices ourselves. There’s a golden rule: take care of yourself,” Walz told the crowd.
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Urban said Walz should have followed his own advice.
“The idea of ’don’t worry about other people’ was never on his radar,” he said.
Walz’s office did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
