Former President Trump’s campaign criticized Vice President Harris for choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her running mate Tuesday, calling him a “West Coast wannabe.”
“It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running-mate — Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State,” Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
On Tuesday morning, Harris chose Walz to be her running mate. Walz, who previously served in the House, emerged as a dark horse contender and gained popularity after he began repeatedly calling Republicans “weird,” a line that Harris’s campaign has eagerly adopted.
The pick drew praise from both progressive and more moderate Democrats.
The Trump campaign criticized Walz’s progressive policy stances and said he “pretends to support Americans in the Heartland.”
“From proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars, and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda,” Leavitt’s statement said.
In a text to supporters, Trump’s campaign said “TIM WALZ WILL UNLEASE HELL ON EARTH.”
In an email last week, Trump vowed to “unleash hell” at his rally in Atlanta, shortly after Harris made a stop there.
On a fundraising site, Trump reiterated the line and criticism of Walz.
“He’ll unleash HELL ON EARTH and open our borders to the worst criminals imaginable,” the site said. “He’ll rubber stamp Kamala’s GREEN NEW SCAM and light TRILLIONS of dollars on fire.”
Harris and Walz are set to travel to several battleground states this week, beginning Tuesday in Philadelphia. They will also make stops in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada.
Republicans are likely to criticize Walz on his policy positions on abortion and LGBTQ issues, painting him as a radical liberal, as they have sought to do with Harris.
“If Walz won’t tell voters the truth, we will: just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American’s nightmare,” Leavitt said.