Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, Tim Walz, has come under scrutiny for making a series of false or misleading statements about his past, including claims about his military service, personal life, and career. Walz, who is the governor of Minnesota, falsely stated that he carried weapons in combat, misrepresented his military rank, and claimed he was teaching in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre.
According to a report by Politico, key members of Harris’ campaign team were unaware of some of these inaccuracies until they surfaced in the media.
Walz’s misleading claims have spanned various aspects of his life. He once falsely asserted that he was a Command Sergeant Major in the National Guard, though he retired as a Master Sergeant. He also claimed to have been present in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests, but later admitted that he “misspoke” and was not there during the historic event.
These misstatements were brought into the spotlight during the vice-presidential debate against Senator JD Vance (R-OH), where Walz was pressed by the moderator about his inaccurate claim regarding Tiananmen Square. Walz responded, “All I said was, I got there that summer,” and conceded that he “misspoke,” adding that he can be a “knucklehead at times.”
These revelations could damage the image Walz has sought to cultivate—an honest, down-to-earth Midwestern governor. His campaign has frequently dismissed these falsehoods as simple verbal mistakes. A Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson defended the governor, stating, “As the governor has said, he sometimes misspeaks. He speaks passionately about issues like democracy and gun violence.” This came in response to Walz’s previous claim that he carried “weapons of war” in combat, despite never having served in a combat zone.
Walz did reportedly inform the Harris campaign about certain personal matters, such as a 1995 DUI arrest during his time as a schoolteacher. However, other inaccuracies, such as those concerning his military service, were not fully disclosed during the vetting process.
Veterans who served alongside Walz in the National Guard have contested his portrayal of his military record. In a September interview with Megyn Kelly, four veterans who had served with Walz criticized his conduct, accusing him of abandoning his men as their deployment approached and questioning his honesty.
