Right-wing media figures responded to Vice President Kamala Harris choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate by launching desperate, bigoted attacks on him.
As governor, Walz has pursued a robust pro-worker and pro-child agenda, two public policy areas where conservatives have attempted to make superficial inroads. While some conservative pundits attempted to level attacks on Walz for his progressive record as governor, many of their initial reactions to the news have been strange, bizarre, and — some might even say — weird.
Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro mocked Walz’s appearance on X (formerly Twitter), comparing him to Matt Foley, a fictional character played by the late (and beloved) Chris Farley.
Right-wing radio show host and former NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch took aim at Walz’s folksy presentation, comparing him to fictional character Boss Hogg from The Dukes of Hazzard.
MAGA commentator Joey Mannarino, meanwhile, posted about Walz' family for reasons even he couldn't describe.
Right-wing commentator and failed anti-trans Republican politician Robby Starbuck’s approach was uglier. After referencing comments Walz made that were sympathetic to Black Lives Matter — highlighted by far-right account End Wokeness — Starbuck wrote that “Kamala/Waltz is the DEI Presidential ticket.” (Attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are a common and racist trope among right-wing media figures.)
Other right-wing figures leveled similarly bigoted charges at Walz. Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller highlighted a post about a pro-immigrant and pro-refugee program in Minnesota, commenting: “Together, Walz and Harris will turn the Midwest into the Middle East. Rapidly.”
Self-identified “proud Islamophobe” Laura Loomer issued a long screed that absurdly asserted “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is tied to ISIS.”
Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk also wrote a lengthy post about Walz, which claimed in part: “Minneapolis is a war zone because of you.” (Crime rates were down in every major category in Minneapolis in 2023.)
TPUSA contributor Graham Allen also responded to Walz’s selection with anti-Black, anti-Muslim rhetoric, posting: “THROWBACK: Tim Walz is the governor who just changed the Minnesota flag to resemble the Somalian flag.” (Several right-wing figures made similar accusations late last year, often deploying racist rhetoric of the white nationalist “great replacement” conspiracy theory.)
The MAGA War Room account posted a screenshot of a headline describing a Minnesota program to support trans youth and added “This Tim Walz guy sounds weird…”
Daniel Baldwin, the national political correspondent at far-right One America News, also pushed a transphobic attack on Walz, writing: “Tim Walz signed a bill making Minnesota a ‘Trans Refugee State.’ No age limits for minors who could receive ‘gender affirming care.’ Truly radical.”
One of Walz’s signature achievements as governor was signing legislation that provided every child at public and charter schools in the state with free lunch. “We will feed our children,” he said at the time, according to the Star Tribune.
“Truly radical” indeed.
