Walz downplays past false statements in rare interview

Gov. Tim Walz in a rare interview Sunday downplayed some of his past false statements that came up during the vice presidential debate last week as he attempted to make a more forceful case for the Democratic ticket following disappointment from some in his party that he didn't push back more on JD Vance.

Since being tapped as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, the folksy, plain-speaking Minnesota governor has had to explain a number of inaccurate statements — and at times embellishments — about his past. They range from his repeated, inaccurate use of his retired military rank to his visit to Hong Kong more than three decades ago to clarifying that his family didn't specifically use in vitro fertilization.

"I will own up when I misspeak. I will own up when I make a mistake," Walz said in an interview with host Shannon Bream on "Fox News Sunday."

But Walz quickly added he didn't think voters care whether his family specifically used in vitro fertilization or another similar treatment. The Harris campaign has had to clarify that Walz's family used a treatment known as IUI, not IVF — which Republicans have fought over banning. The governor, however, didn't specifically address why he's claimed he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, when he apparently wasn't in the region until several months later. During last week's debate with Republican vice-presidential nominee Vance, Walz said he was "a knucklehead" and that he "misspoke" when pressed about it.

"Let's be very clear, on that debate stage the other night, I asked one very simple question, and Sen. Vance would not acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election," Walz said Sunday. "I think they're probably far more concerned with that than my wife and I used IUI to have our child and that Donald Trump would restrict that."

"So I think folks know who I am," Walz added. "My constituents here in Minnesota have elected me eight times. They know where I'm at. And I'm proud to be on the ticket and will deliver, just like we have here in Minnesota."

The interview was Walz's first Sunday show appearance since being tapped as Harris' running mate, as the Harris campaign has been reluctant for both Harris and Walz to do more interviews in recent weeks. But after the debate, the campaign is ramping up the two candidates' travel and media interviews in the final campaign sprint.

Walz on Sunday also tried to more starkly draw a contrast between Trump and Harris, after some Democrats said they were alarmed that Walz at times struggled during the debate to concisely argue why Harris would be a better president.

The governor argued Trump would burden Americans with $4,000 of new expenses per year from his threats to slap even steeper tariffs on everyday goods imported into the U.S., while Harris is pledging to boost small businesses and a child tax credit for families.

But Walz, pressed again to answer a question he dodged during the debate over the growing military conflict in the Middle East and whether he would approve a preemptive strike on Iran, initially declined to directly answer.

"Just to be clear, we have always said we reserve the right to protect American troops, our allies in the region, and that there is consequences for Iran."

"Specific operations will be dealt with at the time," Walz replied, when Bream again pressed him over whether he would support a military strike on Iran's nuclear or oil facilities.

Walz also noted that Monday is the "tragic anniversary" of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel.

"Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 innocent Israelis, 46 Americans took hostages. We have been clear: Israel has the right to defend itself. We've always stood in that position. We need the hostages returned and we need to bring an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," Walz said.

"But again, the point is it — it's Iran that is at the heart of this and their proxies that bring disruption throughout the region," Walz added. "That's why being in the Situation Room, as the vice president was working with the Israelis to repel the attack we saw this week, they tried it back in April, the same thing. And that's the point of being and boxing Iran in," he said, arguing Trump allowed Iran to get closer to having nuclear weapons by pulling the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal.

The governor's reluctance to do more media interviews has surprised some Democrats, especially after his rise to prominence during the veepstakes for a compelling and energetic series of cable news hits that helped to revive downtrodden Democrats. However, allies of Walz, who was largely a dark-horse running-mate candidate until the final days of the process, have noted he excelled in those largely friendly interviews because wasn't under the intense level of scrutiny that he is now as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

Walz did finally face that higher level of scrutiny during the vice presidential debate last week. The clearly nervous governor stumbled over key answers, including trying to explain why he claimed he was in Hong Kong during China's Tiananmen Square protests, when he wasn't. Polling immediately after the debate, however, showed that respondents said both Walz and Vance did fairly well. Asked who won Tuesday's debate, voters were split 50-50 over whether it was Vance or Walz, with Walz excelling among independent voters, according to a POLITICO/Focaldata snap poll of likely voters.

The governor did shock Democrats, including some of his own staffers, by agreeing with Vance so often during the debate rather than pushing back stronger on some of Vance's attempts to paint the Trump presidency as a time of peace and prosperity.

On Sunday, Walz amid questioning about an abortion law he signed in Minnesota, sought to more directly attack Trump and Vance over their stance on abortion access. He argued the former president would sign a national abortion ban if reelected.

Bream interjected to point out Trump has said he would not sign a national abortion ban, asking Walz if he "was calling that just a flat-out lie."

"Yes. Of course," Walz replied, adding Vance "in the past has said so too."

"Now look, they may see this as an election issue," Walz said. "We see it as a right of women to make their own bodily decisions. And that's what the states, like my state, have the ability to put that in."

At a fundraiser Saturday evening in Cleveland, Walz appeared to address his unsteady debate performance, saying he got "riled up" as Vance "was rewriting history," according to pool reporters who were in the room.

But Walz said he "bit [his] tongue" at times, apparently when he wanted to curse in response to an answer from Vance, because he knew there would be "children watching everything."

"But Senator Vance said, Republican Party's got to do better. Women don't trust us. And I'm like, 'No, shit,' they don't," Walz told the audience.