Tim Walz on past misstatements on ‘The View’: ‘I speak honestly’

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz told “The View” on Monday that he speaks “honestly” when pressed to clarify his false statements about his past.

Co-host Alyssa Farrah Griffin began with a disclaimer, “I just wanted to ask about the numerous false statements you have made regarding your past military record and the travels you have taken. Let me be clear, no one lies more than Donald Trump. The thing you misled is not something on the same level.”

He then continued, “In an era where there is so much distrust in our politics, so many lies, can’t there be a gray area, and how do you tell voters they might be concerned that there is an issue of trust? “

Walz responded, “I think you have to be careful about this. If it’s telling, you know, 35 years ago in August ’89 in Hong Kong. I think people distinguish this between pathological liars like Donald Trump. They put it out there, but I think it’s important that we’re careful about how we speak, and that’s something for me, I think being a teacher, being a coach. , I just speak from my heart. I speak honestly. I will speak in a moment.”

Walz faced criticism for claiming he was in Hong Kong during the deadly Tiananmen Square protests in the spring of 1989, while reports revealed he had not traveled to China until August that year.

She was also criticized for saying during a 2018 interview that she had taken weapons of war “into the war”, which the Harris campaign retracted.

He said that when he was preparing for his debate against Senator J.D. Vance, he told his team that he felt he was at a disadvantage because his tendency is to “answer the question you’re asked as quickly as possible.” ” ,

When asked about explaining that he was not in China during the Tiananmen Square protests during the debate, Walz gave a lengthy response about his past as a teacher and coach, saying, “I never -Sometimes I become a fool.

Pressed a second time by the debate moderators to explain the discrepancy, he said, “I only said it because I went out there that summer and said it wrong,” Walz said.

“So, I’ll just say this – that’s what I said. So, I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests, went there and learned a lot from there about what should happen in governance,” he added.

“I think the public sees it, there’s just a tremendous amount of misinformation put out there. It’s important to be comprehensive,” Walz said.

During a 2018 interview, Walz claimed he had “weapons of war” while “at war”, and the Harris campaign said he “misspoke.”

“When making the case why weapons of war should not be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor got it wrong. He championed weapons of war and believed strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, who prioritize the gun lobby over our children. ,” a Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement.