Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stumbled in his response about school shootings during Tuesday night's debate against JD Vance, saying that he has become "friends" with the shooters. The moderators asked about how Walz's views on banning "assault weapons" have evolved over his career.
"I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents. I've become friends with school shooters. I've seen it," Walz said. This came as Walz also tried to clarify why he falsely claimed that he was in Hong Kong during the June 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Walz brushed off the remark as being a "knucklehead" but admitted he had "misspoken" after being questioned by the CBS moderator.
Walz Slammed for His Remarks
Pollsters, commentators, and politicians did not waste time in slamming Walz for the embarrassing blunder. "'I've become friends with school shooters' may be the worst line in any 2024 debate," said political pollster and consultant Frank Luntz.
Fellow pollster Patrick Ruffini was unfazed. "See, this is useful," commented Fox News contributor Guy Benson. "Walz claiming he's become friends with school shooters, when he actually meant victims, is just an unintentional mistake."
"Repeatedly lying about his military rank, his DUI, IVF and Hong Kong/Tiananmen Square are not innocent misstatements."
National Review contributor Andy McCarthy disagreed. "Walz obviously misspoke, he didn't mean he'd become friends with school shooters. C'mon. "This is a good, high-minded debate as things go these days. Let's not make shit up."
"I am not friends with school shooters," deadpanned X user Three Year Letterman. "I am here to take firm stands even if they are not popular."
Florida GOP representatives Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, and South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace shared the quote, with Luna commenting that it was "worrisome."
Even former President Donald Trump joined in, sharing a Trump-Vance 2024 sign on his Truth Social account, accompanied by a slogan underneath. "Not friends with school shooters," it read.
Walz Continues With His Gaffes
His campaign also shared video clips of Walz struggling with his words. "My daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting," posted Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow Pollack, who was killed in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
"It's absolutely abhorrent that Tim Walz has befriended school shooters. Disqualifying."
Walz also reached out to gun owners by saying that he used to keep his gun in the back of his car for "pheasant hunting" after "football practice." He added that if America wants to prevent school shootings, it should take inspiration from Finland.
"They don't have this happen," the Minnesota governor said. "Even though they have a high gun-ownership rate in the country, there are reasonable things that we can do to make a difference."
Walz indicated that the federal government should play a role in taking away "some of these weapons" from circulation, but he did not clarify which ones he was referring to.
"I appreciate what Tim said, actually, about Finland," Vance responded, "because I do think it illustrates some of the frankly weird differences between our own country's gun violence problem and Finland."
Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to "ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require universal background checks, and support red flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people," according to her and Walz's campaign website.
The National Rifle Association, the main gun lobby in America, previously awarded Walz an "A" rating based on his voting history on gun issues but has since downgraded him to an "F" during his two terms as governor.
