Since being nominated as a candidate for Vice President of the United States, Tim Waltz became the target of a powerful disinformation campaign. DV checked four of the most widespread claims about him.
Until recently, Tim Walz was not widely known outside the state of Minnesota, where he is governor. However, that changed instantly after Kamala Harris chose the 60-year-old veteran and former geography teacher as her running mate in the US presidential race in November.
Since then, all sorts of allegations have surfaced against Walz.
Claim: Tim Walz is lying about his military service in Afghanistan.
Fact check: False.
A viral post on social media platform X, viewed a million times, accuses Walz of lying about his military service in Afghanistan. There he is quoted as saying: “I was performing tasks in support of Operation Enduring Freedom”. My battalion provided security in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan”.
The information goes on to say that Walz did not actually serve in Afghanistan. While it is true that Walz did not serve in Afghanistan, the publication misquoted him because it removed important context from his statement. The video attached to the post shows Waltz in an older interview in which he actually says:
„My battalion provided base security during all events in Europe - from Turkey to England - in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan.“ The statement appears to have been deliberately altered to mislead viewers.
However, this is not the first time that controversy has arisen over Walz's military past. In a campaign video from 2018, he himself claimed to have handled assault weapons “during war”. This was not true, as Walz did not participate in combat operations. Harris' team later admitted the error and specified that Walz had “misspoken” in this video.
Claim: Walz ordered tampons in boys' restrooms in Minnesota schools.
Fact check: False information.
This is what former President Donald Trump claims: “He (Waltz, ed.) ordered to put tampons in the boys' toilets. Imagine! He ordered tampons in the boys' toilets, do you understand what this is all about?“.
As governor of Minnesota last year, Walz signed a bill requiring schools to provide free menstrual products. It requires schools to offer these products to students free of charge, stating: “The products must be available to all menstruating girls in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 through 12.
However, the bill does not require these products to be placed in boys' restrooms. Media in the US have made it clear that the bill aims to ensure access to sanitary products for all students, including transgender boys and non-binary students who can use boys' restrooms.
Brendan Nyon, a political scientist and professor at Dartmouth College, notes that while misinformation has been a part of every election, it has been on the rise since Trump entered national politics. “We can certainly say that the volume of disinformation coming from Trump is unprecedented,” he told DV.
Claim: Walz wants to invest in making stairs so migrants can get across the border.
Fact check: Misleading.
A 14-second video of Walz, posted by the Trump campaign's official account, suggests that Walz supports the illegal border crossing of migrants arriving in the US. In the clip, Walz can be heard saying: “If he (Donald Trump, ed.) talks about this wall, I say I want to know how high it is. If it is 25 feet, then I will invest in a 30 foot ladder factory. This is not how we will stop this“.
According to Trump's team, it appears that Tim Waltz wants to invest in a “stair factory” to help illegal immigrants get over the border fence more easily.
This is another case of a statement taken out of context. Key parts of Waltz's comments are omitted, leading to a distorted interpretation. In his full interview with CNN, Walz says building a wall is an ineffective solution to controlling illegal migration. “We can stop this with electronics or more border guards. Or if we have a legal system that -- in keeping with tradition -- allows people to come here, as my relatives did, so they can work and pursue their American dream.“
Claim: In 1995, Walz was arrested for DUI.
Fact Check: It's true.
A series of social media posts allege that Walz was arrested for DUI in 1995. He was reportedly driving at nearly 100 miles per hour (about 160 km/h) in a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour (about 90 km/h). That is true. Walz admitted to the offense, according to police and court documents. He then paid a $200 fine plus court fees and had his driver's license suspended for 90 days. At the time, Waltz was working as a teacher.
When Walz first ran for Congress in 2006, his campaign staff provided misleading information about the incident. A CNN investigation then revealed that his campaign staff denied that Walz was drunk and claimed that the politician had not been arrested. His press office insisted that the drink-driving charge was dropped because it was unfounded.
Later, in 2018, Walz admitted the facts, adding that this incident changed his life: it made him stop drinking alcohol.