Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally with Democratic presidential candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris at Girard College on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Video grab)
Tim Walz
made a strong debut as
Vice President Kamala Harris
’s running mate, launching sharp attacks against former President
Donald Trump
and Republican vice-presidential nominee
Sen. JD Vance
(Ohio) at a rally in Philadelphia.
In a spirited speech, Walz took aim at Trump and Vance, echoing a viral new characterization of the Trump campaign. “I just have to say it.
You know it. You feel it. These guys are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell. That’s what you see,” Walz told the energized crowd, drawing loud applause.
Walz warned that a second Trump presidency would be even more damaging than the first, predicting a rollback of key social programs and a nationwide abortion ban. “If Trump gets a chance to return, he’s going to pick up exactly where he left off four years ago. Only this time, it will be much, much worse,” Walz said, highlighting the stakes of the upcoming election.
The Minnesota governor contrasted his working-class background with Trump’s wealth and privilege. “He never sat at that kitchen table, like the one I grew up at, wondering how we were going to pay the bills. He sat at his country club in Mar-a-Lago, wondering how he can cut taxes for his rich friends,” Walz said.
Turning his attention to Vance, Walz accused his vice-presidential rival of sharing Trump’s “dangerous and backward agenda.” Walz sarcastically noted Vance’s privileged path to prominence, “Like all regular people I grew up with in the heartland, JD studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, and then wrote a bestseller trashing that community. Come on! That’s not what middle America is,” Walz said, expressing eagerness for the upcoming debate.
Walz’s selection as Harris’s running mate came after a competitive “veepstakes” following President Biden’s unexpected decision to exit the 2024 race. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly were also considered top contenders for the vice-presidential slot.
The Harris-Walz ticket is set to challenge the Trump-Vance ticket this fall, with Walz’s rise fueled by his recent viral branding of Republicans as “weird,” a term now being embraced by other leading Democrats.