Donald Trump caught on tape
When Vice President Kamala Harris announced she picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate on Tuesday, Donald Trump exclaimed that he “could not be more thrilled.” This is classic Trump—rushing to set the narrative by conveying confidence that his campaign will have an easy time convincing the nation that Walz should never be Vice President and that Harris suffers from poor judgment.
The thing is, Trump’s record when it comes to dealing with Walz is one of praise and admiration. Since Harris’s announcement, evidence has been trickling in that shows Trump repeatedly boosting Walz even while he pursued his deranged MAGA agenda in the White House.
The Trump campaign is now trying to attack Walz for his alleged mishandling of riots in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020. However, resurfaced audio of a phone call to governors on June 1, 2020, paints a different story. The call reveals that Trump called Walz an “excellent guy” who “dominated,” and that Trump was “very happy” and “fully agreed” with Walz’s handling of the situation, according to the newly obtained recording from ABC News.
The prior year, Trump did more than just heap praise on Walz. On February 21, 2019, Trump announced he was appointing Walz to serve as a Member of the Council of Governors. Originally formed during George W. Bush’s presidency, the Council serves to help coordinate state and federal efforts at addressing homeland defense and other critical issues. As MeidasTouch News noted, “it’s hard for Trump to backtrack on these comments now.”
Indeed, Trump’s impulsive attempts to bash the Harris-Walz ticket are ludicrous, particularly given his recent outspoken support of Walz. It’s just more proof that Trump is the flip-flopping, amoral, hyper-transactional ogre that we’ve always known him to be. Trump’s campaign may continue bumbling down this road at its own risk.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month