Who is Tim Walz? Unpacking the claims about Kamala Harris' VP pick

On August 6, at a spirited rally in Philadelphia, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris took the stage to thunderous applause, announcing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the upcoming election. Harris noted that she and Walz "may hail from different corners of our great country, but our values are the same, and we both believe in lifting people up, not knocking them down." She continued, "We both know that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. And we see in our fellow Americans neighbors, never enemies." 

Later, Harris stressed Walz's wealth of experience, portraying him as a man who has "delivered for working families like his." Shortly after the announcement, Donald Trump reacted by simply posting "THANK YOU" on his platform, Truth Social. He followed it up with another post, stating, "This is the most Radical Left duo in American history," and so the storm of misinformation, debates, and criticism began.

To understand Walz's potential impact on the national stage, it is important to explore the roots of his career, which began far from the political arena. Walz is currently in his second term as governor, having first been elected to the position in 2018. Originally from rural Nebraska, he began his career as a high school social studies teacher and football coach, eventually marrying a colleague before transitioning into politics. He enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17 and retired 24 years later as Command Sergeant Major.

As the 2024 U.S. election season intensifies, the spotlight on Tim Walz grows ever sharper. From his China connections to his handling of the George Floyd protests, COVID-19, military service, and past legal issues, his record has been subject to inaccuracies, speculation, and misinformation on multiple fronts. Logically Facts explores some of those claims below.

Relations with China

Caption: Walz pictured with Dalai Lama from a lunch he described as "life-changing."  The photo is from a Walz's X account post dated March 15, 2018. (Source:@Tim_Walz via X)

Walz's journey from high school teacher to state governor includes significant international experience. His time teaching in China during a tumultuous period not only broadened his perspective but also laid the groundwork for his complex relationship with the country—a relationship that has since become a focal point in his political career.

Walz has visited China numerous times as an educator, businessman, and politician. After graduating from college in 1989, he spent a year teaching English and American history and culture at a high school in Foshan. This happened during the time of the Tiananmen Square incident - a pro-democracy protest led primarily by students calling for political reform, freedom of speech, and an end to government corruption. To suppress the demonstrations, the Chinese government declared martial law and used military force, which left 241 dead and around 7,000 wounded, heavily damaging China's international relations. Reflecting on this experience, Walz has described it as an important moment in his life. After returning to the U.S., he set up a company with his wife, offering high school students the opportunity to go on student exchanges in China. The pair also honeymooned there. According to The Washington Post, Walz also championed multiple bills that censured China's human rights record and served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, focusing exclusively on human rights. 

Walz's long-standing ties with the country have led to discussions about how China could influence future U.S. policies, particularly in areas like global trade, national security, and geopolitical stability. Critics and opponents have leveraged Walz's connections to China in an effort to undermine his credibility and loyalty to the United States and cast doubt on his suitability for the vice-presidential role. 

Some opponents have employed a guilt-by-association tactic, highlighting Walz's past interactions with China to suggest that he may be influenced by, or sympathetic to, the Chinese government. Some have gone as far as accusing him of being a "double agent working on behalf of the Chinese government" (archived here) or being "groomed by China" (archived here). Additionally, opponents use negative framing by labeling Walz as pro-China (archived here and here) or pro-Mao (archived here), even though he has publicly criticized the Chinese Communist Party and its policies on multiple occasions.

Some experts argue that Walz's extensive experience with China could be an asset rather than a liability. For example, Jeffrey Ngo, a senior policy and research fellow at the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, expressed that "Walz is perhaps the most solid candidate when it comes to human rights and China on a major-party ticket in recent memory — if not ever."

Military service

Tim Walz (right) and Gary Bloomberg (left) at Camp Guernsey in Wyoming in 1992. (Source: MPR News Courtesy of Tim Walz) 

While Walz's ties to China have sparked debate, his dedication to service is equally rooted in his military background. Walz is a retired National Guard Command Sergeant Major with 24 years of service. He is the highest-ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress, often highlighting his military background as a key aspect of his leadership. However, opponents have attempted to discredit his achievements and service by questioning its authenticity and circulating misleading information. Some have falsely accused Walz of exaggerating his role or embellishing his achievements, aiming to cast doubt on his integrity and leadership. 

These attacks often rely on a strategy known as stolen valor, where opponents suggest or directly accuse a veteran of fabricating or overstating their military experience. This tactic is designed to erode public trust by implying that Walz has been dishonest about a critical aspect of his identity. For example, Senator J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, accused Walz of quitting the Army National Guard to avoid being deployed to Iraq (archived here) and of lying about his service record to falsely claim that he had served in combat (archived here). Many have added that he abandoned his unit (archived here and here) by retiring shortly before they were sent to combat in Iraq. According to the NY Times, Vance based his accusations on a paid letter to the editor of The West Central Tribune. These sources were among the first to accuse Walz of "conveniently retiring a year before his battalion was deployed to Iraq."

This tactic seeks to undermine Walz's appeal to voters who highly value military service, raising questions about his trustworthiness and authenticity. While the motivations for Walz's decision to retire are personal, undivulged, and therefore outside of the scope of fact-checkers, Walz's decision to run for Congress came months before the battalion received any official notice of deployment. Previously, Walz had been deployed after the September 11 terrorist attacks as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, but not in a combat zone. Although Vance served in Iraq, he never saw firefight either. However, it is essential to note that less than 1 percent of Americans are active-duty service members, and of that 1 percent, only 10 percent serve in direct combat arms. There are many ways to serve in the military, and jobs are assigned based on abilities, test scores, and service needs. Regardless of whether one served in direct combat or not, eligibility for benefits depends on several factors, including active service and reason for discharge.

Despite these attacks, Walz's supporters defend his record, citing his documented service and dedication to veterans' issues as evidence of his genuine military background.

Handling of the George Floyd protests

Caption: A photo from a protest in Minneapolis. (Source: Kerem Yucel/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

In May 2020, protests and riots against police brutality and racial inequality broke out across the U.S. following the fatal shooting of a Black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Walz was governor of Minnesota at the time, and his administration faced intense pressure as protests swiftly turned into what has been described as "one of the most costly and destructive periods of civil unrest in U.S. history." Although Walz wasn't the leading authority in charge of responding to the unrest, as state governor, he held significant influence over the police force that killed Floyd and the city where the protests initially broke out, placing him at the epicenter of the incident and the aftermath.

Social media users have accused Walz of allowing rioters to "burn Minneapolis to the ground" (archived here and here), a criticism echoed by Jacob Frey, the Mayor of Minneapolis at the time of the incident. Although Walz activated the National Guard three days after the unrest began, extensive damage had already occurred. Walz's team argued that Frey had not provided an official request or specified deployment areas. Some have said that these actions make Walz responsible for facilitating the riots (archived here and here), claiming he committed treason (archived here). They frame Walz's response as a leadership failure, questioning his competence in crisis management.

The governor's handling of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots remains a contentious topic, with supporters praising his commitment to justice and opponents questioning his decisions. Earlier this month, in a conference, Walz said, "Decisions were made in a situation that is what it is, and I simply believe we tried to do our best in each of those." According to CNN, although Republicans still attack Walz's response to BLM protests, at the time, then-President Donald Trump said he "fully" agreed with how the Minnesota governor handled rioting in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder.

COVID-19 response

Tim Walz pictured during the COVID-19 pandemic. Minnesotans were required to wear masks in indoor businesses and indoor public settings. (Credit: Evan Frost/MPR/Pool/Link)

Walz and his administration have also faced controversy over their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the more contentious actions taken by Walz was establishing a "snitch line," which allowed residents to report businesses and individuals not complying with COVID-19 restrictions. This measure sparked debates about privacy and government overreach (archived here, here, and here), as people criticized him for Marxist and socialist views (archived here).

Walz has also faced backlash for letting hospitals discharge recovering COVID-19 patients back to nursing homes. Some claim that the decision contributed to Minnesota's high percentage of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care facilities. Consequently, some social media users have nicknamed Walz "the nursing home killer" (here), claiming his "reckless mistakes killed the elderly" (here). Others condemn him for blaming the youth for the spike in COVID-19 cases while not taking enough responsibility for his role (here). Walz explained his decision by stating, "This was federal guidance. This was what everyone was doing. This was not a mistake. It wasn't like no one thought about this. There was complexity in how you deal with this." He also described his reasoning, stating, "If you are going to die in an American hospital, the number one thing that will kill you is hospital-acquired infections. That kills 90,000 people a year." Although the decision remains a matter of debate, by the time the worst pandemic was over, Minnesota had lower COVID-19 death rates than most other states. 

Another significant controversy involves allegations against Tim Walz of being involved in COVID-19 fraud. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, at least 47 individuals participated in a vast criminal conspiracy that exploited two federally funded nutrition programs through a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization. They fraudulently obtained over $250 million, making it one of the largest COVID-era fraud schemes in the nation. The 47 defendants were charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery across six separate indictments. The report, however, does not find any specific fault with Walz or his immediate office and hardly mentions the governor. Many social media users disagree, claiming he should take responsibility since it happened under his watch (archived here and here). Publications such as STAT News, ABC News, and the New York Post have analyzed Walz's COVID record in more detail. 

Speculation continues before vote

Walz's multifaceted background and the controversies surrounding him will play a crucial role in shaping public perception ahead of the presidential vote in November. His record is also expected to remain a key point of attention as the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Chicago on August 19, where Harris is expected to be formally ratified as the Democratic presidential nominee, a decision that will also cement Walz as her running mate.

Follow Logically Facts' coverage of the U.S. elections with fact-checks, analysis, and articles here.