In a moment that ignited both ridicule and renewed scrutiny, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) offered an unusually candid — and controversial — reflection on his role in the 2024 presidential campaign during a recent event at Harvard’s Kennedy School. Walz, who served as Kamala Harris’s running mate during her unsuccessful bid for the White House, claimed he was chosen in part because he could “code talk to white guys” and serve as a “permission structure” for them to vote for a Black woman.
The left does not have a theory of mind for a while male.
It never occurred to them that Walz was a blowhard teacher (and creepy), not someone any of us would have respected.
To them, we are white men, he's a white man, therefore we will find common ground with him. https://t.co/zYCzRRVaRs
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) May 1, 2025
Walz told the audience that while his progressive track record in Minnesota was certainly a factor, his real utility on the ticket was more symbolic and cultural. “I could code talk to white guys watching football, fixing their truck,” he said, suggesting that his image and background could provide reassurance to a voter demographic the Democratic Party has struggled to win over in recent cycles.
Tim Walz tells Harvard audience that Kamala chose him for VP because “I could Code Talk to white guys watching football, fixing their truck’ and he gave a ‘permission structure’ for whites to vote Democrat pic.twitter.com/YaRJdL9Kad
— Chris Plante Show (@ChrisPlanteShow) April 30, 2025
This choice of words — "code talk" and "permission structure" — wasn’t just politically tone-deaf; it also exposed a deepening rift between Democratic strategists and the working-class white voters they keep trying, and failing, to win back. The implication that white men need a familiar, folksy white male running mate to feel comfortable supporting a qualified Black woman candidate didn’t land as intended. Instead, it drew sharp rebukes from critics on both sides of the aisle.
This just tells you how out of touch Democrats are with normal, everyday Americans. They really thought Walz would connect with white guys? 😂 https://t.co/GUnGwiDigD
— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) April 30, 2025
Conservative commentator Sam Janney mocked the logic behind the strategy, asking, “They really thought Walz would connect with white guys?” Meanwhile, Chuck Ross of The Free Beacon invoked the memory of Tim Kaine’s muted post-2016 presence, suggesting perhaps Walz should follow suit and quietly exit stage left.
I wonder if Democrats prefer the Tim Walz approach of yammering on in public like this after getting trounced, or the Tim Kaine approach of fading back into political oblivion after his loss. https://t.co/0ByZ8KL4xI
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) April 30, 2025
Beyond the backlash, Walz’s remarks revealed a key postmortem insight into the Democrats’ 2024 miscalculations. Swing-state losses were chalked up to failing to reach “white guys,” with Walz claiming, “with the exception of Minnesota, we didn’t get enough.” But that’s only part of the story. For many, the language he used to describe his role—reducing his VP candidacy to a kind of political translator—came across as patronizing and emblematic of a party out of sync with its own messaging.