Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick, called President Biden “fit for office” last month after the president’s poor debate performance against former President Trump.
“Yes, he’s fit for office,” Walz said July 3 at a meeting of governors at the White House after he was asked about Biden by a reporter. “Three and a half years of delivering for us, going through what we’ve all been through. None of us are denying Thursday night [June 27] was a bad performance. It was a bad hit, if you will, on that, but it doesn’t impact what I believe that he’s delivering.”
Harris’ campaign told Fox News Digital that Walz stands by his comments. Walz’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden faced increased public pressure from Democrats to drop out of the race after his shaky debate performance and eventually announced July 21 he wasn’t going to seek re-election.
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The president plans to remain in office, however, until the end of his term.
“This is Joe from Scranton,” Walz continued. “He talked about building the middle class. He did it. He delivered. And I think this idea that you get in your own head, you get a little bit cycled up on that. What we saw in there today was a guy who was the guy that all of us believed in the first time who could beat Donald Trump and did beat Donald Trump.”
Biden was pressured to step away from his re-election bid as polls continually showed him behind Trump, and Democrats were worried Biden couldn’t beat Trump again.
Biden endorsed Harris for the Democratic nomination after he announced he was withdrawing from the race, and she announced Walz as her running mate Tuesday.
Biden praised the decision Tuesday.
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“Kamala Harris has made a great decision in choosing Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate,” the president posted on X. “I’ve known Tim Walz for nearly two decades, first during his time in Congress and as Governor. A husband and father, he’s been a school teacher and a high school football coach. He served for 24 years in the Army National Guard and became the highest ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress. As Governor, he’s been a strong, principled, and effective leader.”
