As former President Trump slammed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for his response to the unrest that erupted in the state in May 2020 following the killing of George Floyd, a resurfaced audio recording shows Trump praising the governor at the time for “taking control” of the situation.
According to an audio recording obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, President Trump spoke by phone with Gov. Walz and other state governors and officials on June 1, 2020.
“What they did in Minneapolis was unbelievable. They went in and they overwhelmed people. And it happened quickly,” Trump told Walz and other lawmakers on the call.
Walz, who has served as Minnesota’s governor since 2019, was selected Tuesday as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, and attention has been focused on his response to the riots that raged across Minneapolis following the May 25, 2020, killing of George Floyd.
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Flames from a nearby fire illuminate protesters standing on barricades in front of Police Station 3 during riots over the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 28, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)
Three days later, Governor Walz sent in the National Guard to stop the riots, which included the torching of a police station, but critics say he and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey acted too late. Both Governor Walz and Mayor Frey have blamed each other for the delay.
Governor Walz has been criticized for his delay in sending the National Guard to Minneapolis during the May 2020 riots. (AP Photo/Matt Luke)
President Trump offered Governor Walz federal aid at the time, but the governor did not accept it.
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President Trump did not blame Mayor Walz for the delay at the time, but later said, “I don’t blame you. I blame the mayor.”
“Tim, I’ve been very pleased with the last few days,” Trump said on the call. “You hit a big number, and that big number beat them in a flash, like bowling pins.”
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But Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Trump was simply acknowledging Walz’s steps to end the violence after days of violence and unrest in Minneapolis.
President Trump praised Governor Walz’s response to the riots in a June 1, 2020, phone call, but the former president has harshly criticized the governor in recent months. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“Despite President Trump offering to send in the military and the liberal mayor of Minneapolis pleading for help, Governor Walz allowed Minneapolis to continue burning for days,” Leavitt said. “On June 1, a few days after the riots began, during his daily call with governors, President Trump acknowledged that Governor Walz had finally taken action to end the violence in the city by sending in the National Guard.”
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Fox Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox Digital’s Michael Lee and Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
