Walz admits he 'speaks like everybody else,' but it's failing to benefit his campaign.
Key members of Harris’ circle were unaware of certain inaccurate statements made by Walz until they were revealed to the public, even after the vetting process.
TroibNews 
Tim Walz has a problem with misspeaking.
Since being selected as Kamala Harris’ running mate, the folksy, plain-speaking governor of Minnesota has faced scrutiny over a growing number of inaccurate statements and embellishments regarding his past. These inaccuracies encompass remarks about his military service, a visit to Hong Kong more than three decades ago, and clarifications regarding his family's use of in vitro fertilization.
It remains unclear if Walz's verbal missteps will damage his credibility with voters. However, the necessity to repeatedly rectify these claims could politically harm both Walz and Harris, especially since they are competing in a closely contested race against Donald Trump and JD Vance. Notably, some key members of Harris’ inner circle were unaware of certain inaccuracies until they emerged publicly, despite the vetting processes, according to four individuals familiar with those discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Any time you are forced to go off message is never welcome,” said Mike Mikus, a Democratic strategist in Pennsylvania. “But in the end, voters are looking for somebody who is more concerned about what these candidates are going to do to improve their lives than, ‘Did he get every single fact correct?’”
One of the latest examples occurred on Tuesday when a CBS debate moderator challenged Walz about his assertion that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, while the region was still under British rule. Over the years, Walz had publicly claimed to have been in Hong Kong during the Beijing crackdown, including as recently as a decade ago in Congress.
During the debate, he awkwardly replied, “all I said on this was, is, I got there that summer,” and admitted, “I’m a knucklehead at times” before acknowledging he had “misspoke.”
On Wednesday, Walz attempted to clarify his debate remarks during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, a battleground state where polls indicate that Harris and Trump are nearly tied. “Yeah, look, I have my dates wrong,” he stated to reporters in Harrisburg. “I was in Hong Kong in China in 1989. … I speak like everybody else speaks. I need to be clearer.”
Candidates seeking higher office have long faced accusations of embellishing their records or personal histories. President Joe Biden is known for exaggerating even minor aspects of his life, such as his academic achievements. In 2010, Sen. Richard Blumenthal had to clarify reasons behind misstating his military record, claiming he served in Vietnam when he had actually served in the Marine Corps Reserve stateside. Former Rep. George Santos has gained notoriety for fabricating numerous details, including claims regarding his mother’s death during the 9/11 attacks.
Walz’s inaccuracies could undermine the image his campaign has cultivated, portraying him as an honest, everyday Midwestern man. “He’s just honest,” recalled Bob Frisby, 70, from Rochester, Minnesota, in an interview shortly after Harris selected the governor as her running mate.
One of the earliest claims under scrutiny during the presidential campaign focused on Walz’s military background. He has repeatedly and inaccurately referred to himself as a “retired command sergeant major” in radio ads from his initial congressional campaign, despite never completing the necessary coursework to retire at that rank. Following inquiries from reporters, the Harris campaign discreetly revised its website to indicate that Walz had served at the rank of command sergeant major.
In 2018, while campaigning for governor, he expressed that he didn’t want “those weapons of war, that I carried in war” accessible to everyday Americans while explaining his shift towards supporting an assault weapons ban, creating the erroneous impression that he had combat experience. The Harris campaign later stated he “misspoke.”
He also faced backlash for using his family’s fertility challenges to underscore his stance on reproductive rights, a pivotal issue in the campaign. He criticized Vance, saying, “if it was up to him, I wouldn’t have a family because of IVF.” The Harris campaign later clarified that Walz and his wife, Gwen, had not specifically used in vitro fertilization, but rather another similar treatment that Republicans have not discussed banning.
Walz brought some of these issues to Harris and her team during the vice presidential vetting process, as noted by two individuals familiar with the discussions. While the vetting team of Harris was aware of Walz’s 1995 DUI arrest during his time as a school teacher in Nebraska, his previous campaign and staff had attempted to downplay or mislead journalists regarding the arrest circumstances.
Harris’ vetters reached out to some of Walz’s former House colleagues and other associates to explore episodes from his past, including his drinking habits and temperament since that time, according to two individuals knowledgeable about the calls.
“As the governor has said, he sometimes misspeaks. He speaks like a normal person and speaks passionately about issues he cares deeply about, including democracy and stopping gun violence in our school,” a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign stated, adding that Trump and Vance “repeatedly lie and mislead about their plan to ban abortion nationwide” and other matters.
Democrats have recently found themselves defending and downplaying some of Walz’s past inaccurate remarks, particularly regarding his military rank. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker described Walz's comments as him “misspeaking on occasion” throughout his career.
“You can pick and choose the things that you want over somebody's entire career and call it out," Pritzker told reporters, also asserting that “JD Vance is lying every day.”
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
Since being selected as Kamala Harris’ running mate, the folksy, plain-speaking governor of Minnesota has faced scrutiny over a growing number of inaccurate statements and embellishments regarding his past. These inaccuracies encompass remarks about his military service, a visit to Hong Kong more than three decades ago, and clarifications regarding his family's use of in vitro fertilization.
It remains unclear if Walz's verbal missteps will damage his credibility with voters. However, the necessity to repeatedly rectify these claims could politically harm both Walz and Harris, especially since they are competing in a closely contested race against Donald Trump and JD Vance. Notably, some key members of Harris’ inner circle were unaware of certain inaccuracies until they emerged publicly, despite the vetting processes, according to four individuals familiar with those discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Any time you are forced to go off message is never welcome,” said Mike Mikus, a Democratic strategist in Pennsylvania. “But in the end, voters are looking for somebody who is more concerned about what these candidates are going to do to improve their lives than, ‘Did he get every single fact correct?’”
One of the latest examples occurred on Tuesday when a CBS debate moderator challenged Walz about his assertion that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, while the region was still under British rule. Over the years, Walz had publicly claimed to have been in Hong Kong during the Beijing crackdown, including as recently as a decade ago in Congress.
During the debate, he awkwardly replied, “all I said on this was, is, I got there that summer,” and admitted, “I’m a knucklehead at times” before acknowledging he had “misspoke.”
On Wednesday, Walz attempted to clarify his debate remarks during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, a battleground state where polls indicate that Harris and Trump are nearly tied. “Yeah, look, I have my dates wrong,” he stated to reporters in Harrisburg. “I was in Hong Kong in China in 1989. … I speak like everybody else speaks. I need to be clearer.”
Candidates seeking higher office have long faced accusations of embellishing their records or personal histories. President Joe Biden is known for exaggerating even minor aspects of his life, such as his academic achievements. In 2010, Sen. Richard Blumenthal had to clarify reasons behind misstating his military record, claiming he served in Vietnam when he had actually served in the Marine Corps Reserve stateside. Former Rep. George Santos has gained notoriety for fabricating numerous details, including claims regarding his mother’s death during the 9/11 attacks.
Walz’s inaccuracies could undermine the image his campaign has cultivated, portraying him as an honest, everyday Midwestern man. “He’s just honest,” recalled Bob Frisby, 70, from Rochester, Minnesota, in an interview shortly after Harris selected the governor as her running mate.
One of the earliest claims under scrutiny during the presidential campaign focused on Walz’s military background. He has repeatedly and inaccurately referred to himself as a “retired command sergeant major” in radio ads from his initial congressional campaign, despite never completing the necessary coursework to retire at that rank. Following inquiries from reporters, the Harris campaign discreetly revised its website to indicate that Walz had served at the rank of command sergeant major.
In 2018, while campaigning for governor, he expressed that he didn’t want “those weapons of war, that I carried in war” accessible to everyday Americans while explaining his shift towards supporting an assault weapons ban, creating the erroneous impression that he had combat experience. The Harris campaign later stated he “misspoke.”
He also faced backlash for using his family’s fertility challenges to underscore his stance on reproductive rights, a pivotal issue in the campaign. He criticized Vance, saying, “if it was up to him, I wouldn’t have a family because of IVF.” The Harris campaign later clarified that Walz and his wife, Gwen, had not specifically used in vitro fertilization, but rather another similar treatment that Republicans have not discussed banning.
Walz brought some of these issues to Harris and her team during the vice presidential vetting process, as noted by two individuals familiar with the discussions. While the vetting team of Harris was aware of Walz’s 1995 DUI arrest during his time as a school teacher in Nebraska, his previous campaign and staff had attempted to downplay or mislead journalists regarding the arrest circumstances.
Harris’ vetters reached out to some of Walz’s former House colleagues and other associates to explore episodes from his past, including his drinking habits and temperament since that time, according to two individuals knowledgeable about the calls.
“As the governor has said, he sometimes misspeaks. He speaks like a normal person and speaks passionately about issues he cares deeply about, including democracy and stopping gun violence in our school,” a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign stated, adding that Trump and Vance “repeatedly lie and mislead about their plan to ban abortion nationwide” and other matters.
Democrats have recently found themselves defending and downplaying some of Walz’s past inaccurate remarks, particularly regarding his military rank. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker described Walz's comments as him “misspeaking on occasion” throughout his career.
“You can pick and choose the things that you want over somebody's entire career and call it out," Pritzker told reporters, also asserting that “JD Vance is lying every day.”
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
