‘Creepy’: VP pick Tim Walz blasts Trump, Vance in debut campaign speech with Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris’s running mate Tim Walz has continued his attacks on Donald Trump and JD Vance in his first rally, calling them “weird as hell”.
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Kamala Harris and her new running mate Tim Walz have painted themselves as underdogs in the election race against Donald Trump, as they jettisoned Joe Biden’s legacy to promise a 90-day campaign focused on America’s future.
The Vice President tapped the Minnesota Governor to join the Democratic ticket after he surged to prominence over the past fortnight by attacking the former president as “weird”.
In their first rally together, Ms Harris introduced Mr Walz as a military veteran, a high school teacher and football coach, and a successful congressman and state leader “who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big”.
While Mr Trump attacked them as “the most radical left duo in American history”, Ms Harris argued they were “two middle class kids” who represented “the promise of America”.
“Our campaign is not just a fight against Donald Trump. Our campaign, this campaign, is a fight for the future,” she said.
“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who could help build this brighter future … I’m here today because I found such a leader.”
“With his experience, I’m telling you: Tim Walz will be ready on day one.”
The 60-year-old Mr Walz praised Ms Harris for “bringing back the joy” to politics and said: “We’ve got 91 days. My god, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead.”
After their first rally in Philadelphia – where they were introduced by popular Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who Ms Harris overlooked to be her running mate – the pair were set to blitz six more battleground states this week.
‘WEIRD AS HELL’: WALZ REPRISES TRUMP ATTACK
Mr Trump’s vice presidential pick JD Vance lined up a matching schedule as he unleashed on his new rival as “one of the most far-left radicals in the entire United States government at any level” and accused Ms Harris of buckling to “the most radical elements of her party”.
Speaking alongside the Vice President, Mr Walz reprised his retort against the Republican ticket that recently went viral, saying: “These guys are creepy, and yes, just weird as hell.”
The 24-year National Guard veteran also forcefully attacked Mr Trump, saying he “doesn’t know the first thing about service”.
“He doesn’t have time for it because he’s too busy serving himself,” Mr Walz said.
“Violent crime was up under Donald Trump … That’s not even counting the crimes he committed,” he added, sparking chants of “lock him up”.
During the raucous rally, Ms Harris and Mr Walz mostly sidestepped the President’s record, barely a fortnight after Mr Biden up-ended the race by abandoning his bid for a second term.
Instead, they promised new reforms to lower the cost of living, make childcare and housing affordable, fund paid leave and protect reproductive freedoms, with Ms Harris pointing to Mr Walz’s delivery of similar policies in Minnesota.
“We are the underdogs in the race. But we have the momentum, and I know exactly what we are up against,” the Vice President said.
But while progressive Democrats hailed the selection of Mr Walz, a new Marist Poll revealed 71 per cent of voters were unsure of what they thought of him or had never heard of him.
Mr Biden said the new Democratic ticket would be “a powerful voice for working people and America’s great middle class”, while former president Barack Obama praised Mr Walz’s “ability to talk like a human being and treat everyone with decency and respect”.
‘EXTREMIST’: TRUMP’S TEAM SLAMS WALZ
Ms Harris developed strong chemistry with Mr Walz during a rapid vetting process, and was drawn to his folksy Midwestern attitude, his rural roots as a gun-toting hunter, his support of progressive policies, and his effort to turn a winless football team into state champions.
“I’ve heard the stories about how he had a knack of using the game of football to teach life lessons,” she said.
“He saw the potential of kids who sometimes didn’t even see it in themselves … Under those Friday night lights, Coach Walz motivated those players to believe they could achieve anything.”
“That’s the kind of vice president he will be – and that’s the kind of vice president America deserves.”
But Mr Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said he was a “dangerously liberal extremist”, with the former president adding on social media after Mr Walz was confirmed as Ms Harris’s running mate: “THANK YOU!”
‘UNDERDOGS’: HARRIS VOWS TO FIGHT
Ms Harris chose Mr Walz as her election running mate, tapping the Minnesota Governor who surged to prominence in the past fortnight by labelling Donald Trump “weird”.
The 60-year-old National Guard veteran – who has led his Midwestern state since 2019 – developed strong chemistry with the Vice President during a rapid vetting process as his attacks on her Republican rival went viral.
Ms Harris said they would “start out as underdogs” ahead of November’s election but added: “We are going to build a great team. We are going to win this election.”
“One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep. It’s personal,” she said.
“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his own.”
‘FAR LEFT’: VANCE BLASTS CHOICE
Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s VP pick, accused Ms Harris of bending to the Democrats’ “far left’’ with her choice of Mr Walz over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who had also been named as a contender.
Senator Vance described Walz as one of the “most far-left radicals in the entire United States,” arguing that Ms Harris chose him to “fit the needs of the far left of the party.”
His remarks came after far-left groups branded Mr Shapiro “Genocide Josh” over his support for Israel in the Gaza war, as Ms Harris was choosing her running mate.
Mr Shapiro, speaking at the Philadelphia rally after he was overlooked by Ms Harris, said he would be “working my tail off” to help her defeat Mr Trump.
The Pennsylvania Governor said the Vice President, his friend of two decades, was “battle-tested and ready to go”.
And he praised Mr Walz’s “beautiful, Midwestern, plain-spoken way”, saying he was excited for American voters to get to know “the next vice president”.
‘HONOUR OF A LIFETIME’: WALZ REACTS
Mr Walz, who also spent 12 years in the US House of Representatives, was chosen over Mr Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s popular governor, and Arizona senator Mark Kelly.
He said it was “the honour of a lifetime” to join Ms Harris’s campaign.
“I’m all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school,” the former teacher said.
Growing up, I learned to be generous toward my neighbors, compromise without compromising my values, and to work for the common good.@KamalaHarris and I both believe in that common good – in that fundamental promise of America. We’re ready to fight for it. And like she says:… pic.twitter.com/5SfrDRqx7C
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) August 6, 2024
But Mr Trump’s spokeswoman Karolina Leavitt attacked Mr Walz as a “West Coast wannabe” and a “dangerously liberal extremist”, with the former president celebrating his selection in a social media post that said: “THANK YOU!”
“This is the most Radical Left duo in American history,” he later added.
But US President Joe Biden – whose decision to drop out of the race thrust Ms Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket – hailed the selection of Mr Walz as a “great decision”.
“The Harris-Walz ticket will be a powerful voice for working people and America’s great middle class. They will be the strongest defenders of our personal freedoms and our democracy. And they will ensure that America continues to lead the world and play its role as the indispensable nation,” he said.
When I called @Tim_Walz this morning to ask him to join our campaign, I shared my deep level of respect for him and the work we've done together.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 6, 2024
We're going to unify this country and we're going to win.
Let's go get this done. pic.twitter.com/EcqZ497lyk
As he campaigned for the vice presidential nomination, Mr Walz up-ended the Democratic strategy against Mr Trump, condemning his “weird” behaviour rather than copying Mr Biden’s assessment of him as a “threat to democracy”.
Ms Harris’s campaign team quickly followed suit as his comments went viral, with the Vice President reportedly impressed by the plain-spoken politician’s happy-go-lucky approach.
Mr Walz, speaking at a recent “White Dudes for Harris” fundraiser, said: “How often in 100 days do you get to change the trajectory of the world?”
“How often in 100 days do you get to do something that’s going to impact generations to come? And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his arse, sent him on the road?”
Former president Barack Obama said Mr Walz’s signature was “his ability to talk like a human being and treat everyone with decency and respect”.
“Like Vice President Harris, Governor Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us,” he and his wife Michelle said in a statement.
“That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president, ready on day one.”
Mr Trump’s campaign immediately released an attack ad claiming Mr Walz would be a “rubber stamp for Kamala’s dangerously liberal agenda”.
He had already raised the ire of Republicans for his policies in Minnesota they deemed to be too liberal, including legalising cannabis, protecting abortion rights, funding fee-free university for low-income people, and providing free meals for schoolchildren.
“What a monster. Kids are eating and having full bellies, so they can go learn, and women are making their own healthcare decisions,” Mr Walz said sarcastically in a recent interview.
“If that’s where they want to label me, I’m more than happy to take the label.”
Ms Harris’s vice presidential shortlist had also included Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, all of whom also threw their support behind Mr Walz.
WHO IS TIM WALZ?
– The 60-year-old has been the governor of Minnesota since 2019, having previously spent 12 years as a congressman in the US House of Representatives
– Before his political career, he worked as a high school geography teacher and football coach, and spent 24 years responding to natural disasters as part of the National Guard
– As Minnesota’s governor, he has eliminated abortion restrictions, legalised cannabis, funded fee-free university for low-income students, and provided free meals at schools
– He is the father of two children, including a daughter he and his wife Gwen named Hope after a seven-year IVF journey
– He is a gun owner who hunts pheasants and turkeys, he speaks Mandarin, and he doesn’t drink after he was busted driving over the speed limit under the influence of alcohol in 1995.
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