Trump called Democratic VP pick Tim Walz 'excellent guy' for his handling of 2020 George Floyd protests

WASHINGTON, DC: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump praised Tim Walz in 2020 for his handling of protests after George Floyd's death and undercut a barrage of GOP attacks after the Minnesota Governor was named Kamala Harris’ running mate.

Harris announced to a crowd during the Philadelphia rally that Walz would be her running mate in the 2024 election, calling him the "vice president that the country deserves," CNN reported.

Donald Trump praised Tim Walz for his handling of George Floyd protests

In a June 2020 call, Trump called Walz an "excellent guy" and said, "I fully agree with the way he handled it the last couple of days." 

Following Floyd's death by police on May 25, 2020, protests across the country, some of which turned violent, erupted. Trump led the call along with several governors, then-attorney general Bill Barr, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and then-defense secretary Mark Esper.

He told the governors, "You’ve got a big National Guard out there that’s ready to come in and fight like hell. I tell you, what they did in Minneapolis was incredible. They went in and dominated. And it happened immediately."

He added, "Tim Walz. Again, I was very happy with the last couple of days. Tim, you called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast it was like bowling pins."

The call was made a week after Floyd's death. During the time, and the years after, Republicans publicly slammed Walz over whether he waited too long to call in Minnesota’s National Guard.

Republican running mate JD Vance said on Tuesday, August 6, during a rally that Walz "allowed rioters to burn down the streets of Minneapolis." whereas Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene stated on X that Walz "did nothing while Minneapolis burned".

Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to POLITICO that Walz "allowed Minneapolis to burn for days" and identified Trump’s comments on the call as grudging.

Leavitt said, "In this daily briefing phone call with Governors on June 1, days after the riots began, President Trump acknowledged Governor Walz for FINALLY taking action to deploy the National Guard to end the violence in the city."

Donald Trump mocked for praising Tim Walz in 2020

Social media users trolled Donald Trump after his remarks praising Tim Walz in 2020 for handling the George Floyd protests resurfaced on the internet. The trolls erupted as several Republicans were critical of Walz after he was nominated as Harris' running mate.

One social media user wrote on X, "HAHA IT'S SO OVER FOR TRUMP," while another added, "It’s Joever for Trump."

One person stated, "Trump praising someone one day then completely turning his back on them the next? Déjà vu," while another wrote, "Even Trump loves Walz. What can we say? He’s impossible to hate."

One individual remarked, "For Trump, saying a guy 'dominated' is the highest level of compliment," while another added, "He praised him for calling in the National Guard after letting Minneapolis burn for 3 days."

One social media user commented, "More like knocking down MAGA talking points like bowling pins, amirite," while another added, "You are such a partisan hack it’s amazing."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.