Gov. Tim Walz tried to clarify during the vice presidential debate why he had falsely claimed that he was in Hong Kong during the June 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Walz brushed off the remark as a moment of being a "knucklehead" but eventually admitted he had "misspoken" after being questioned by the CBS moderator.
Throughout his political career, Walz had consistently claimed he was in China during the protests. However, Minnesota Public Radio uncovered that Walz didn't travel to China until August, while the protests began in the spring of 1989 and ended in early June. However, Walz has repeatedly claimed he was in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989.
Walz Comes up With Lame Explanation
When a debate moderator asked him to clarify his claim, Walz dodged the question and instead began reminding the audience of his background.
"I grew up in small rural Nebraska, town of 400, town that you rode with your buddies till the streets came on and I'm proud of that service..." Walz began before quickly shifting on to another topic describing his service in the National Guard.
"I have poured out my heart in my community I've tried to the do the best I can and but I have not been perfect and I have been a knucklehead at times, but it's always been about that," he continued.
He continued by reminding viewers that, despite his past mistakes, he was elected to Congress and eventually became the Governor of Minnesota.
"Many times I will talk a lot, I will get caught up in the rhetoric, but being there, the impact it made, the difference in made in my life, I learned a lot about China," Walz continued.
Walz Fails to Explain His False Claims
When CBS News debate moderator Margaret Brennan pressed him for clarification, Walz admitted he couldn't explain his remark but stated that he was in China in the summer of 1989 and had "misspoken."
"So I was in Hong Kong in China during the democracy protests went in," he said. "And from that I learned a lot of what needed to be in governance."
Walz has repeatedly claimed that he was in China during the Tiananmen Square protests, making this claim as recently as June 2019.
"I was in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989, when, of course, Tiananmen Square happened," Walz said.
He made a similar claim during a 2009 congressional hearing held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. "Twenty years ago today, I was in Hong Kong preparing to go to Foshan to teach at Foshan No. 1 Middle School," Walz said on June 4, 2009.
