Tim Walz touts record and attacks Trump in first rally as VP pick

Tim Walz touted his rural roots and mentioned Donald Trump would take the US “backwards”, as he appeared for the primary time as Kamala Harris’s operating mate.

At a rally in Philadelphia, the Democratic nominee for vice-president mentioned their Republican rivals in November’s election had been “bizarre as hell”.

The Trump marketing campaign mentioned Mr Walz, the present Minnesota governor, was a “dangerously liberal extremist”.

Mr Walz, 60, is billed as somebody who can win again rural and working-class voters who’ve gravitated to Trump in essential midwestern states.

At Tuesday evening’s rally in the important thing swing state of Pennsylvania, Ms Harris, at the moment the US vice-president, mentioned she and Mr Walz had been the “underdogs” in what is anticipated to be a detailed election, however had the momentum.

Mr Walz informed a packed area in Philadelphia that Trump “sees the world in another way”.

“He doesn’t know the very first thing about service – as a result of he is too busy serving himself,” mentioned the previous military sergeant and soccer coach.

To cheers, he additionally invoked a viral assault line that caught the attention of the Harris marketing campaign as she thought of who could be her operating mate.

“These guys are creepy and, sure, simply bizarre as hell,” Mr Walz mentioned of their Republican challengers.

Ms Harris and Mr Walz have simply launched a five-day tour of key battleground states.

They will even converse on the Democratic Nationwide Conference, which runs from 19 to 22 August in Chicago.

As the present two-term governor of Minnesota, Mr Walz has overseen one of the crucial productive legislative intervals in state historical past, implementing a sweeping left-wing agenda.

Democrats have used management of the state legislature to ensure abortion rights, go gun management measures and institute paid household depart, amongst different issues.

Republicans have criticised Mr Walz for Minnesota’s masks mandate and shutdown of companies and faculties throughout the Covid-19 pandemi,c and his delay in deploying the Nationwide Guard to take care of rioting after George Floyd’s homicide in 2020.

Additionally in Philadelphia earlier on Tuesday was JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential nominee, who assailed the Democratic White Home ticket.

The Ohio senator informed reporters that Ms Harris’s alternative of Mr Walz exhibits that “when given the chance she is going to bend the knee to essentially the most radical parts of her celebration.”

Trump’s marketing campaign mentioned in a press release: “Similar to Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is each American’s nightmare.”

President Joe Biden, who suspended his personal election marketing campaign final month and endorsed Ms Harris, mentioned in a press release that the brand new Democratic ticket “would be the strongest defenders of our private freedoms and our democracy”.

Earlier than getting into the governor’s workplace, Mr Walz represented a Republican-leaning district within the US Congress for 12 years.

He gained that seat in 2006 – the one Democrat to have completed so within the principally rural district over the previous three a long time.

Mr Walz is a local of Nebraska and the son of a college administrator and a stay-at-home mom.

He grew up farming and looking and served within the Military Nationwide Guard for twenty-four years after becoming a member of aged 17.

The younger Mr Walz additionally taught secondary college pupils – first for a yr in China, a rustic he says he has visited about 30 instances. He speaks some Mandarin.

His spouse, Gwen Whipple, a fellow trainer, drew him to her native Minnesota, the place he taught social research and geography and coached American soccer.

He has described his entry into politics as nearly unintentional. He mentioned he volunteered for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential marketing campaign after being angered by an incident wherein two of his pupils had been turned away from a George W Bush marketing campaign occasion.