Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) lashed out at President Donald Trump over his response for not ordering U.S. flags to flown at half-staff following the assassination of a Democratic politician in his state.
Former Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman, who served as House speaker, and her husband were fatally shot at their home in June. State Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife were also targeted and sustained serious injuries. Vance Boelter, who is accused of shooting the two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, faces state and federal murder and attempted murder charges.
Prosecutors said Hortman was later found listed on an alleged hit list from the suspect, which included a slate of other Democrats.
As he spoke to reporters on Monday, Trump was asked about his decision to lower flags in the wake of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, but not for Hortman and her husband. At the time of the targeted attack, the president refused to call Walz to express his condolences, saying it would “waste time.”
“Well, if the governor had asked me to do that, I would have done that,” Trump said during an Oval Office event. “But the governor of Minnesota didn’t ask me.”
Trump continued: “I wouldn’t have thought of that. But I would have if somebody had asked me… Had the governor asked me to do that, I would have done that gladly.”
While responding to the president’s comments on MSNBC’s “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” late Tuesday, Walz said it has been “pretty traumatic in Minnesota.”
“What goes through my mind is nothing surprises me. There’s no compassion. There’s no empathy in this man, and there’s no sense of governing for the whole country,” Walz said.
“We had a horrific act of political violence and the loss of an exceptional human being, a mom. Just it’s hard to explain to people, and it gets reduced to a footnote. This beautiful life,” he added, describing her as “one of the most skillful legislators I’ve ever worked with.”
Walz labeled Trump’s remarks as “disrespect,” and said they “easily rolled off his tongue.”
“Yet we’re supposed to believe that they’re definitely concerned about political violence. And you see the vice president, you know, go on a podcast, it’s ‘government by podcast,’ to just lie, and to bring hate,” Walz said, referencing Vice President JD Vance, who hosted a special edition of “The Charlie Kirk Show” on Monday to pay tribute to his friend, while bashing the far left.
Walz, who announced hours earlier that he will seek a third term as governor, said he is “proud” of Hortman’s legacy, and went on to say that Trump “sees the presidency as his personal kingdom and a revenge tour.”
“He’s doing nothing to improve people’s lives… He’s not fixing anything for anyone, and it’s all smoke and mirrors,” Walz said.
He also pointed to a mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school in August. Two children — Harper Moyski, 10, and Fletcher Merkel, 8 — were killed and 21 other people were left injured.
“I guarantee you, Donald Trump doesn’t know their names, and he’s out there doing this. He doesn’t care,” Walz said, adding, “We’re done with it in Minnesota. We’re going to do something about it.”
In an initial response to Trump’s comments, Walz spokesperson Claire Lancaster told the Associated Press that “Governor Walz wishes that President Trump would be a president for all Americans.” Meanwhile, Walz posted a video on X in an effort to show unity in Minnesota.
During the aftermath of the attack against the Hortmans, Trump condemned the violence, but called Walz a “terrible governor” and “grossly incompetent” in an interview with ABC News.
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