Minnesota Governor Tim Walz made his debut as Kamala Harris running mate where he gave a first introduction of himself to the American people but also went after Donald Trump as a criminal, made a dig about J.D. Vance on a couch and called the GOP ticket weird.
The 60-year-old’s first campaign remarks came at a massive first rally in Philadelphia just hours after he was dramatically revealed as the Democratic vice presidential pick.
Thousands of people packed the Liacouras Center at Temple University for the boisterous event. The crowd went wild as Harris and Walz entered the arena together.
‘I couldn’t be prouder to be on this ticket, and to help make Kamala Harris the next President of the United States!’ Walz said.
The announcement Tuesday ended weeks of speculation over who Harris would pick after President Biden exited the race on July 21 launching a massive shake-up at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz make their entrance as running mates for the first time at a rally in Philadelphia, PA on August 6, 2024 to thunderous applause
Walz is just introducing himself on the national stage. The Minnesota governor was elected in 2019 after serving on Congress since 2007. He also served 24 years in the National Guard and was a social studies teacher and football coach before running for Congress.
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‘Minnesota’s strength comes from our values – our commitment to working together, to seeing past our differences, to lending a helping hand,’ Walz said.
Walz also gave a preview of how he will go after Republicans on the campaign trail.
He said Trump ‘doesn’t know the first thing about service. He doesn’t have time for it because he’s too busy serving himself.’
The governor also claimed violent crimes were up under Trump stating ‘that’s not even counting the crimes he’s committed.’
Walz also slammed Vance saying he can’t wait to debate the Republican vice presidential nominee ‘if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.’
His couch reference received a roar of laugher from the crowd as it is an eyebrow raising reference to a lurid debunked story about his opponent that has launched a series of memes and crude jokes across the internet.
Walz called the Republican ticket ‘creepy’ and ‘weird as hell.’
Tim Walz made his debut on the campaign trail as as Kamala Harris’ running mate where he went after Trump for crime, called him and J.D. Vance creepy and weird and made a joke about the Republican VP nominee getting off the couch to debate him
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris walking into her campaign rally alongside running mate Tim Walz. The vice president spent a significant amount of time sharing why she picked the Minnesota governor and his background before Walz gave his first speech as her pick
At the end of the rally, Harris and Walz were joined by their spouses on stage, Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz
Harris spoke first after they took the stage and gave Walz a lengthy introduction. She touted his background as an educator. She said they come from different corners of the country but their values are the same.
‘He really shines a light on a brighter future that we can build together,’ Harris said. ‘In his state he has been a model chief executive and with his experience I am telling you Tim Walz will be ready on day one.’
It was also Harris’ first campaign rally and visit to the battleground state since becoming the official Democratic presidential nominee.
‘I’m now officially the democratic nominee’ she noted. ‘And so now that I have work to do, we need to move to the general election and win that.’
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro received a thunderous applause as he entered the rally on August 6 after Harris chose Walz over him as her running mate. Shapiro praised Walz a ‘great man’ and vowed to help get them elected
As Shapiro went after Donald Trump, the crowd started chanting about the ex-president ‘he’s a weirdo.’
Another top contender for Harris’ running mate was Pennsylvania’s own Governor Josh Shapiro who was in attendance for the rally where he received a thunderous hero’s welcome from the crowd as he entered.
Shapiro vowed to work his ‘tail off’ to elect Harris and Walz and said he loved being governor. He said he was focused on ‘GSD’ or ‘getting s**t done’ and heaped praise on Harris while blasting Trump and Vance.
As the state’s governor went after the ex-president, the crowd started chanting ‘he’s a weirdo.’ Shapiro gave the credit to Walz.
‘Tim Walz is a great man,’ Shapiro said as the crowd went wild. ‘Tim Walz is a great patriot, and I’ll tell you what else, Tim Walz is a dear friend.’
Walz responded in kind with his own praise on Shapiro as a visionary leader. He mentioned they once attended a Bruce Springsteen concert together.
Shapiro told the crowd he leans on his family and his faith and is ‘very proud’ of his faith.
It came after some in the progressive wing of the Democratic party pushed back on Shapiro, who is Jewish, as a running mate over his strong support for Israel.
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania appearing at the rally for Harris and Walz in Philadelphia. He talked about being a Steelers fan which received boos from the Eagles fans, but he said they are united in electing Harris and Walz
Supporters of Harris cheer as she and running mate Tim Walz enter their first campaign event together in Philadelphia, PA on August 6
As the progressive Minnesota governor made his debut, multiple Democrats in attendance told DailyMail.com they admittedly knew very little if anything about him before the announcement was made but were excited.
Several who had heard of Walz before said they only recently became aware of him as the governor known for calling Republicans ‘just weird.’ It has become a frequent line used by Democrats on the campaign trail.
Democrats also claim his addition to the ticket helps with midwestern voters. Walz grew up in rural America and could help the party as rural America has become increasingly red over the years.
‘I was born in West Point, Nebraska and lived in Butte, a small town of 400 where community was a way of life,’ Walz said in Philadelphia. ‘Growing up, I spent summers working on the family farm. My mom and dad taught us to show generosity toward your neighbors and to work for the common good.’
The pick has been praised by Democratic lawmakers across the political spectrum from squad member New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who is a registered Independent but still caucuses with the party.
At the same time, Republicans have rushed to paint Walz as a ‘radical liberal’ who supports granting undocumented immigrants amnesty and supports sanctuary cities.
A man holding a sparkly sign at the Harris rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania
A woman wearing a ‘Kamala for the people’ shirt dancing in the crowd before Harris’ rally started in Philadelphia on August 6. The campaign claimed 14,000 people were in attendance for the event including those in overflow
The crowd for the rally began lining up early in the day as attendees decked out in Harris gear waited to get through security. People were handed bracelets that had lights flashing red, white and blue, making the event feel like a concert at times rather than a campaign rally.
According to the campaign, there were more than 14,000 people in attendance for the Philadelphia rally including those in overflow.
While Harris waited until late Tuesday morning to announce her running mate, the campaign came prepared with options. Throughout the arena were massive blue signs with ‘Harris Walz’ on them. Lanyards also included Walz’s name in addition to Harris.
Those DailyMail.com spoke to said it was a historic occasion to be at her first event with her running mate, but others said they simply wanted to get a glimpse of the candidate they believe could become the first woman President of the United States.
‘We are just ecstatic about her candidacy and she’s going to win. There’s no question in my mind,’ said Betty Blue. ‘There’s been 46 presidents. Why not a woman? It’s time. With what’s going on in the country right now, we need a woman to bring the country together.’
‘My generation, I see how much we tend to support her,’ said 14-year-old Addison Avat who was there with her mom. ‘She thinks about the future in a good way, and she wants to lift the future up.’
From Philadelphia, Harris and Walz are headed out on a battleground state tour across the country ending in Nevada on Saturday.