Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sparked controversy during the debate against JD Vance (R-OH) on Tuesday night after making a puzzling comment about gun violence. Walz, who was asked to clarify remarks he made earlier about school shootings, appeared to struggle to articulate his point, leading to widespread backlash.
On Wednesday, a reporter asked Walz to clarify his previous statement where he mentioned being “friends with school shooters,” during the debate. In his response, Walz seemed to stumble through an explanation, stating that he is “super passionate” about the issue and referenced his connection with gun control activist David Hogg.
“I’m super passionate about this,” Walz responded. “The question comes about school shootings. We’re talking about everything except school shootings. And I sat as a member of Congress with the Sandy Hook parents, and it was a profound movement.”
Walz then added, “David Hogg is a good friend of mine. You have seen me do this. I was talking about being with people where there are school shooters, and I need to be more specific on that, but I am passionate about this.” His attempt to reference his friendship with David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland shooting and vocal advocate for gun control, seemed to fall flat doing little to alleviate the confusion over his earlier remarks.
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During the debate itself, Walz had made the head-scratching statement, “I’ve become friends with school shooters, I’ve seen it,” a comment that quickly went viral and drew widespread criticism from political figures and commentators.
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One of the most notable reactions came from former President Donald Trump, who took to his Truth Social platform to express his disbelief. “Second time he has said, ‘I’ve been friends with school shooters.’ What does he mean by this? Is he insane?” Trump wrote, referencing a previous incident where Walz made similar remarks. He added, “Walz made a very big mistake on Gun Shooters. Does anyone think he knows what he said? Will he have a News Conference after the Debate to apologize to the parents and others who were so horribly hurt?”
The bizarre comment dominated post-debate analysis, with many questioning the governor’s ability to communicate effectively on such a sensitive and significant issue. Some pointed out that while Walz’s passion for addressing gun violence may be genuine, his words during the debate and subsequent attempt at clarification only served to create more confusion.
Throughout the debate, Walz seemed nervous and somewhat fidgety, though he eventually settled in as the debate progressed. On Tuesday, a bombshell report released by CNN exposed Walz for falsely claiming that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989. In fact, Walz did not travel to China until August 1989, three months after the massacre. The Democrat VP nominee had previously referenced being in Hong Kong during the event in various interviews and speeches, but the claim was debunked.
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