GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump had an apocalyptic response to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her vice presidential running mate on Tuesday.
In an email to his supporters, Trump claimed that Walz, an amiable Midwesterner with a record as governor that progressives love, said he would be “even worse” for the country than Harris.
“HE’S THAT BAD,” Trump’s email read.
“He’ll unleash HELL ON EARTH and open our borders to the worst criminals imaginable,” the former president added of Walz.
Walz, a former public school teacher and veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, pushed through several progressive priorities in Minnesota, including a Medicaid buy-in, paid family and medical leave, a phase-out of fossil fuels, and free school lunches for all.
He previously represented the state as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019, where he was known by colleagues as a centrist Democrat.
“To characterize him as left is so unreal,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday on MSNBC. “He’s right down the middle. He’s a heartland of America Democrat.”
But Republicans were breathing a sigh of relief on Tuesday that Harris didn’t go with a more moderate Democrat like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The case for Shapiro mostly hinged on bolstering Democrats’ odds of winning his critical battleground state and its 19 electoral votes.
“Harris Feels the Bern and picks Walz. Thank you, Kamala!” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote in a social media post, referring to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) and other progressives’ support for Walz.
“Tim Walz? What a relief,” added former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway.
Republicans were likely going to criticize any choice Harris made, of course. And Walz could still help Democrats win over rural and more conservative voters in Pennsylvania and other Midwestern states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
“One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep,” Harris said in a statement on Tuesday. “It’s personal. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his own. We are going to build a great partnership. We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election.”