Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz on Monday slammed former President Donald Trump’s comment over the weekend about deploying the National Guard or U.S. military to “control the enemy from within,” saying it makes him “sick to my stomach.”
“What I know is, it’s a call for violence, plain and simple, and it’s pretty damn un-American,” Walz said.
Trump on Sunday told Fox News in an interview that he wants to deploy the National Guard or U.S. military on Election Day to control the “enemy from within.”
The Minnesota governor’s comment came during a campaign event in Green Bay, Wis., on Monday evening, in which he kicked off a bus tour that will feature the Democratic governors of the three so-called “Blue Wall” states: Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. All three backed Trump in 2016 before flipping blue to back Biden in 2020.
Earlier on Monday, Walz commenced his day on the campaign trail in battleground Wisconsin by visiting the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, where he warned students at an event that Trump’s comments about the National Guard were “about you.”
“Just so you’re clear about that, that’s you, that’s what he’s talking about, this is not some mythical thing out there,” Walz told the students gathered. “I tell you that because we need to whip his butt and put this guy behind us.”
Walz also used his remarks in front of young voters on Monday to make a direct appeal to young men to support him and Harris in November amid a growing conversation about an apparent gender divide in this year’s election.
He specifically pushed back on the notion that Trump resonates more with the voting bloc.
“You keep hearing about this gap,” Walz said. “I refuse to admit that that's real because I know that we care deeply, I know these issues matter to you, I know they matter to all of us.”
“We need to get, especially young men, out there to vote,” Walz continued. “This is not damn WWE type stuff.”
The Minnesota governor said the rhetoric from the other side was not “cool” and is harmful
“It's not about, well it’s cool when he talks like this or whatever, it's not cool, it hurts people and it leads to violence, and it undermines our system,” Walz said. “And again, they're all talk on this. I guarantee you I can shoot better pheasants than them."
Walz’s comments come as polls show a gap between which candidate men and women are supporting in this year’s election. A survey by NBC News released on Sunday, for instance, showed Harris holding a 14-percentage point edge among women while Trump held a 16-point advantage among men.
Trump has appeared to make an effort to court the voting bloc, sitting for interviews with podcasters and influencers who boast large followings among young men.
“I don’t want to hear about that these guys have cornered the market,” Walz said on Monday, before going on to talk about the importance of Wisconsin in November to control of the White House and Senate, comparing it to football.
“I will guarantee you that the Super Bowl, the Senate and the White House are all going through the NFC North this year,” he said, the division home to Wisconsin's Green Bay Packers and his beloved Minnesota Vikings.
Walz, a Nebraska native who has become known for his “plain-spoken” style, was seen as a vice presidential pick for Harris who could help her appeal to men. The Harris campaign has leaned into emphasizing Walz’s background as a high school football coach and gun ownership.
Over the weekend, Walz took part in an event to mark the opening day of Minnesota's pheasant hunting season as the campaign launched a new push to appeal to “hunters and anglers.”
Walz made a stop at a restaurant on the Oneida Reservation in Green Bay, where he mingled with Tribal leaders to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day.