Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) has begun rebranding himself as the Democratic Party’s top critic, with a 2028 presidential run on the table.
After his failed bid as former Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate in 2024, Walz has sought to remain in the national spotlight by criticizing his party. After briefly stepping out of public view following his 2024 loss, Walz has undertaken a media blitz to regain national attention.
He appeared on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) new podcast on Tuesday, critiquing the Democratic Party and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Walz directed his criticism toward Schumer’s decision to back the Republican stopgap budget. He said the move cost congressional Democrats their leverage over the GOP.
“I believe that Chuck 100% believes that he made a decision that reduced the pain and the risk to Americans,” Walz said. “I see it now that we’re in a point where … that pain is coming anyway, and I think we gave up our leverage.”
“To the American public who doesn’t do this for a living and is out doing their job, they said, ‘well, they passed this budget, and they agreed with Donald Trump, and now we all own that,’” he added. “I think you should have made Donald Trump justify why things were getting so bad.”
Walz agreed with Newsom’s argument that Democrats needed to go on the offensive, especially regarding reaching demographics they’re losing, such as young men.
Like other Democrats seeking to rebrand, Walz has adopted harsher rhetoric. During the podcast, he used profanity and threatened his opponents to express his outrage.
“How do you fight it? I think I could kick most of their a**; I do think that,” Walz said after bemoaning his characterization by the right more broadly.
Newsom argued that Democrats should make more of an effort to converse with figures on the right, such as Steve Bannon, which the California governor has been doing on his podcast. Walz largely disagreed.
“These are bad guys, though. These are bad guys,” he said.
“How do we push some of those guys back under a rock?” Walz added when Newsom mentioned online pundits who had been winning over young men.
The Minnesota governor said he wouldn’t cater to “misogynists” or compromise on LGBT struggles when Newsom suggested they engage with figures on the right or voter bases the Democrats had lost.
Walz has insisted in the past that he has no desire to be president, but in a March 3 interview with the New Yorker Radio Hour, he left open the possibility of a 2028 run.
“Well, I had a friend tell me, ‘Never turn down a job you haven’t been offered,’” the governor said. “If I think I could offer something … I would certainly consider that. I’m also, though, not arrogant enough to believe there’s a lot of people that can do this.”
Earlier this month, Walz announced a town hall tour through Republican-held Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin districts.
DEMOCRATS HOLD TOWN HALLS IN RED DISTRICTS AS GOP LEADERSHIP ADVISES AGAINST THEM
“If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will,” Walz said. “Hell, maybe I will. If your congressman refuses to meet, I’ll come host an event in their district to help local Democrats beat ‘em.”
Walz previously criticized the Democrats’ “cautious” 2024 campaign strategy, arguing that the party “shouldn’t have been playing this thing so safe” and should have been more aggressive in holding town halls in Republican-leaning regions.
