Donald Trump was ‘very happy’ with Tim Walz in 2020 because of…
Just hours after Vice President Kamala Harris’s announcement of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, supporters of former President Donald Trump took no time to criticize the Minnesota Gov., especially pointing out his handling of the riots that erupted after George Floyd’s murder in May 2020.
Donald Trump says Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’ running mate is ‘a shocking pick’ (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File, Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg)
“He allowed rioters to burn down the streets of Minneapolis,” stated Ohio Senator JD Vance, the Republican candidate for vice president, on Tuesday.
Trump had expressed support for Walz’s approach
According to a recording of a phone confirmed by ABC News, CNN and Politico, Trump praised Walz’s leadership during a conversation with a group of governors, calling Walz’s response “dominant” and using it as a positive example for other states.
“I know Gov. Walz is on the phone, and we spoke, and I fully agree with the way he handled it the last couple of days,” Trump said on June 1, 2020.
ALSO READ| Will a desi President boost Indian quotient in US? Indian American weighs in on Kamala Harris as POTUS
He then called Walz an “excellent guy” and added, “I was very happy with the last couple of days, Tim. You called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast it was like bowling pins.”
“I said, you got to use the National Guard in big numbers.”
Walz was accused of delaying National Guard mobilization
Over time, several critics have accused Walz of delaying the National Guard’s mobilization, which they argue allowed rioters to cause extensive damage, setting fire to 1,500 buildings, inflicting approximately $500 million in property damage, and being linked to at least three deaths.
Governor Walz, a 24-year veteran of the National Guard, eventually mobilized over 7,000 guardsmen to the Twin Cities. However, this decision came 18 hours after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey initially requested military assistance.
Recently, Walz has downplayed the scrutiny over his handling of the protests. “It is what it is,” he told reporters, adding, “And I simply believe that we try to do the best we can.”
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign refuted Trump’s claim, stating that the former president’s assertion was untrue.
ALSO READ| JD Vance tries to confront Kamala Harris on tarmac, quips ‘why she refuses…’
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told ABC News, “Governor Walz allowed Minneapolis to burn for days, despite President Trump’s offer to deploy soldiers and cries for help from the liberal Mayor of Minneapolis.”
“In this daily briefing phone call with Governors on June 1, days after the riots began, President Trump acknowledged Governor Walz for FINALLY taking action to deploy the National Guard to end the violence in the city.”
