Walz says Harris picked him for VP to 'code talk to White guys'

Former vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., continued a self-described "listening tour" across the country at a Harvard Kennedy School forum on Monday night, ruling out a 2028 presidential bid and revealing why former Vice President Kamala Harris chose him as her running mate. 

Walz said Harris chose him, in part, because, "I could code talk to White guys watching football, fixing their truck" and "put them at ease." The Minnesota governor described himself as the "permission structure" for White men from rural America to vote for Democrats. 

"I think I'll give you pretty good stuff, but I'll also give you 10% problematic," Walz added when pushed by moderator Brittany Shepherd, ABC News national political reporter, about why he didn't take that message to cable news to reach a larger audience. Walz laughed off criticism over inconsistencies in his background on the 2024 campaign trail, describing himself as a "knucklehead."

Walz told CNN's Jake Tapper earlier this month that he was considering a third bid for Minnesota governor but was not thinking about running for president in 2028. When asked by Shepherd to explain, Walz said the Democratic Party should run a collective 2028 presidential campaign. 

WALZ 'VERY PESSIMISTIC' ON DEMOCRATS RETAKING THE SENATE

"I think we need to collectively run a presidential campaign without a candidate right now that builds all the infrastructure… by the time we get to 2028, we're ready," Walz said. 

WHITE HOUSE TORCHES TIM WALZ'S SPEECH ABOUT TRUMP'S 'GULAGS,' 'CHAOS': 'HIS LARGEST CITY BURNED TO THE GROUND'

And on what he would have done differently in 2024, Walz said, "We would have won." Acknowledging that Democrats came up short in November, Walz said the party is "better off doing more" in "every forum," following criticism that Democrats didn't prioritize media appearances enough in 2024, whether long-form podcasts or traditional network news shows. 

"There is room for Gavin Newsom's podcast, and there is room for Bernie Sanders' rallies," Walz said, as he described both instances as opportunities for Democrats to reclaim their own narrative.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., long considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has invited President Donald Trump's allies and conservative guests, including Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon, onto his new podcast to show he is open to "criticism and debate without demeaning or dehumanizing one another." The strategy follows criticism after the 2024 presidential election that Democrats didn't prioritize new media appearances and unscripted conversations enough. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been jet-setting across the country on the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour alongside another potential 2028 presidential candidate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The self-described Democratic socialists have amassed tens of thousands of supporters to what they say are record-setting rallies for both politicians. 

Walz has been on his own cross-country tour, hosting town halls in Republican-held congressional districts. But the former vice presidential nominee has fallen into familiar missteps from the 2024 campaign trail – on the road and back at home. 

Walz was heckled by veterans at the Minnesota Capitol earlier this month for claims of "stolen valor." At a town hall in Wisconsin last month, a woman who registered for the event told Fox News Digital she was removed for filming Trump supporters getting kicked out. And during one of his first town hall events, Walz was slammed by Republicans for celebrating Tesla's stock drop amid a spree of vandalism. 

While the Democrat said he was chosen by the Harris campaign to relate to White men, Walz has been unable to escape the nickname "Tampon Tim," coined by conservatives for his bill providing free menstrual products to "all menstruating students" in school restrooms grades 4 to 12, including the boys' room. 

Regardless of the comment or legislation, conservatives find a way to criticize "Tampon Tim," including when Walz claimed he could fight most Trump supporters earlier this year. 

Further reflecting on the Democrats' 2024 losses, Walz said the party wins on the issues and "competency," but "we lose the message, and we lose power."

"Why have we lost the self-identity that the Democratic Party is for personal freedoms, middle-class folks, for labor folks. How did we lose it, where people didn't self-identify with that? How did we get to a point where people didn't feel like this was an important enough election to get out and vote?" Walz asked during his speech Monday. 

Walz's speech was on the eve of Trump's first 100-day celebration, and he warned his fellow Democrats, "If you leave a void, Donald Trump will fill it," and added, "If I ever had 100 days to live, I would spend it in the Trump administration because it's like a lifetime."

"It’s been 100 days of destruction. You think we can survive 550 more? That’s the challenge. That’s how long it is until the midterms," Walz said.