Tim Waltz is trying to restructure to help Democrats fight the Trump administration, but he is still trying to understand why he and his party lost in November.
“I knew it was my job to pick out those other swing states, but we didn’t,” he said of the 2024 election. “I went back home and licked the wounds and at least won here.”
Waltz spoke on Saturday in Rochester, Minnesota. He once represented Congress in the district he once represented after the Democrats in 2024.
Walz tours are some brand red, some democratic catharsis, some gatherings. He hasn’t ruled out the 2028 run for the president, but neither has most 2028 hopes.
“I thought Flex was that I was the poorest person and the only public school teacher ever to run for US vice president,” Waltz told a crowd of about 1,500 people who filled the auditorium on Saturday morning and spilled into the overflow room. “They chose billionaires. We need to do better.”
Many of the crowds recalled when Waltz represented them in Congress, asking him how to fight the demolition of the Department of Education, defend the rights of trans people, and build a bigger tent for the Democrats.
Waltz’s City Hall is one of many major democratic events these days, demonstrating an increasing amount of energy for strong resistance to the US president. On the “Stop Oligarchy” tour, a much larger crowd appeared to see Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. People are also filling city halls across the country to inform elected officials that they are being affected by government cuts and policy changes. But we still don’t know where the energy goes.
It is clear that the waltz is still attracting attention from the right-wing fury machine. He cheated Fox News and other experts while appearing on Gavin Newsom’s Podcast and said they drank him from the straw and made fun of him, saying he doesn’t think he’s masculine enough, but he can “kick their ass.” Fox host Jesse Watters opposed the clips and detailed things that shouldn’t be done, like eating soup in public.
Trump called Waltz a “loser” on Friday. “He lost the election. He played a role. Usually the Vice President doesn’t play a role… I think he was so bad that it hurt her.”
At a previous rally in Wisconsin, Waltz laughed at Tesla and said he saw a drop in stock to get a “small boost” every day, leading to accusations on the right. “I would like to thank the most of you for looking at @jdvance’s portrait in the White House when I need a little boost,” Musk wrote on Twitter/X.
At City Hall on Saturday, Walz targeted Musk. “This guy is probably plaguing me in an unhealthy way,” he said.
“They are all Batolls about Tesla, but they don’t care about the rudeness shown to Minneapolis Virginia employees who care about our veterans.
Waltz held a meeting in a Minnesota area. There, Councilman Brad Finstad is one of many Republicans who don’t hold in-person city halls. Republicans who have held events in recent weeks have experienced a passionate pushback. A sign outside the venue, John Marshall High School showed Finstad’s face in black and white, saying “there are no lawmakers.” Finstad told Postbuletin in Rochester that he would not commit to hosting in-person events, but he was holding a teletown hall.
“In my seven years as governor, Governor Waltz doesn’t have one city hall, so now he claims he is the king of town halls,” Finstad said. “This is a political comeback for Governor Waltz where Democrats are surrounded.
During the rally, Walz said Finstad should be noted. “If you’re a member of the council in the largest city in your district and have 1,300 people on a nice Saturday coming here, it will grab your attention, trust me,” he said.
When we think about the Democrats’ path to advance, Waltz admits he doesn’t have a solid answer, but said Democrats need to do better to clarify how their values and policies improve people’s lives. He likes the idea of ”shadow cabinets” and borrows the British tradition of opposition parties having their own version of Cabinet members to speak out against those in power.
He also said Democrats shouldn’t let Republicans grasp narratives on issues like trans rights.
“To be honest with you, there are a lot of people who are clear about this and are happy to see it and say it’s a pretty small number of people,” Walz said. “It’s a dangerous road to get down, because right away you’re part of a group that’s quite a few people.”
He sees the Trump administration as an “existential threat” to cut programs such as Social Security, but wonders if Democrats can’t send a message to these common middle class issues for the oligarchs. “How did this happen?” he pondered.
Once Democrats take office, it’s time to reinforce the programs they want to protect, he said.
“Donald Trump is on his revenge and retaliation tour,” he said. “Well, I said I’ll be one too. I’m going to bring revenge just by raining down on my head by getting health care. They’re going to be revived on the day we have children who have special needs and get the care they need.”
