Tim Walz's political trainwreck continued to unfold on Wednesday as reporters questioned him about two of his most glaring moments from a recent debate against JD Vance. In what can only be described as a disastrous performance, Walz struggled to maintain composure, especially when confronted with a lie he had told about being present in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests.
Let’s set the scene: during the debate, Walz was asked about his claim that he had witnessed the Tiananmen Square protests while in Hong Kong, a story that had already come under scrutiny in the days leading up to the event. Yet, rather than being prepared with a coherent explanation for what was clearly a falsehood, Walz froze like a deer in headlights.
It was quite a moment, as he fumbled over his words, unable to provide anything resembling a satisfactory response. You’d think after days of criticism, Walz’s team would have prepped him for this inevitable question. Instead, his reaction revealed that he simply didn’t expect to be held accountable—something that often happens when you're a Democrat in the national spotlight.
Tim Walz on his claim about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre: "I have my dates wrong." pic.twitter.com/AV3fFbiTG6
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) October 2, 2024
Following the debate, Walz had a second chance to clear the air when reporters pressed him on the issue. And yet, once again, he floundered. His response? A rambling, nonsensical attempt to justify his earlier claim by stating he had just "mixed up the dates" and that he was in Hong Kong in 1989. But here’s the thing—this isn’t about getting a date wrong.
Claiming you were there for the Tiananmen Square protests is not the kind of mistake that can be brushed off. It's like saying you were at the World Trade Center on 9/11 when, in reality, you were just in New York a few months later. It's not a slip of the tongue; it’s an outright fabrication.
Worse still was Walz's strange follow-up about trips he took with students to China, supposedly to teach them about democracy. Seriously? China is hardly the place one would take students for a democracy lesson, and this bizarre claim only added to the sense that Walz was grasping at straws to cover for his dishonesty.
REPORTER: Can you clarify why you said you've befriended school shooters?
WALZ: "I'm super passionate about this!"
(No clarification was offered) pic.twitter.com/P0f0Dz4w6G
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 2, 2024
But that wasn’t the only moment Walz put his foot in his mouth. When asked about another head-scratching comment he made during the debate—where he boasted about being “friends” with school shooters—Walz delivered a confusing word salad that left everyone scratching their heads. He mumbled something about sitting with Sandy Hook parents and being friends with David Hogg, but his point remained entirely unclear. If his intention was to convey empathy for the victims of school shootings, he failed miserably. Instead, he came off as incoherent, leaving his audience wondering what on earth he was talking about.
It’s worth noting that throughout both of these blunders, Walz leaned heavily on his folksy persona, constantly referring to how “people know him” and how “you’ve seen me do this.” Here’s the reality: most people don’t know Tim Walz, and what they do see is a politician who has trouble telling the truth. His awkward, fast-talking delivery is a telltale sign that even he knows he’s not being honest. Walz isn’t just fumbling with words—he’s struggling with facts, and it’s becoming painfully obvious.
And to top it all off, John Fetterman, standing nearby, seemed to have a moment of exasperation himself. Several times, Fetterman walked behind Walz as if to say, “Dude, please, just get off the stage already.”