Governor Tim Walz (D.) of Minnesota has spent the last several weeks attempting to woo male voters on the campaign trail. Walz continued his "male outreach" on Monday during a gabfest with the liberal ladies of The View on ABC, where he struggled to provide coherent answers to a series of softball questions and was rewarded with a branded plaid shirt with "dad in plaid" written on the back. "That's the single great thing I ever got," Walz said sadly. "You know I'm wearing this."
Whoopi Goldberg opened the interview by referring to "Vice President J.D. Vance" in a question about why Walz thought Donald Trump and his running mate were "weird," which set up Walz to portray the actual vice president, Kamala Harris, as a candidate of change. "Folks are ready to move on. They're tired of the division," he said.
Ana Navarro praised the Harris-Walz campaign for having brought "an infusion of joy" into the race, while Sara Haines gave Walz a chance to clean up Harris's comment on The View earlier this month that "there is not a thing that comes to mind" when asked what she would do differently as president compared to Joe Biden. Walz's response was only marginally better. After suggesting the Biden-Harris administration did not work hard enough to provide health care for seniors, the governor relied on vague talking points. "I think she's really leaning into these issues that impact people personally," he said of Harris. "She's her own leader, she's got her own path, a new way forward."
Walz had a difficult time stringing words together when asked to defend the Biden-Harris administration's economic record and explain why voters continue to tell pollsters they are struggling to make ends meet. "If they're saying they are [struggling], they are," he said. "I think for all of us of prices being out there, I think that's why Vice President Harris has made it very clear that that is a top priority." He suggested Democrats had a "responsibility" to challenge Trump supporters for being too ignorant to realize his economic policies would make their lives worse.
The governor continued by reciting familiar talking points and attacking Trump for serving fries at McDonald's. "Vice President Harris and I grew up middle class, we understand that," Walz said. "She actually worked in a McDonald's, she didn't go and pander and disrespect McDonald's workers by standing there in your red tie and taking a picture." (Note: The Washington Free Beacon has yet to find compelling evidence that Harris actually worked in a McDonald's.)
Navarro mentioned the Harris campaign's struggle to appeal to male voters. "What do you think is going on with men?" she asked after ranting about Trump and mocking his recent appearance at a McDonald's franchise in Pennsylvania. ("Would you like lies with that?") Walz argued the campaign has a "responsibility to earn the votes from everyone," then quickly pivoted to attacking Trump. "It's very clear that, as you said, Donald Trump is spiraling down unhinged," he told Navarro. Walz concluded by insisting the campaign's talking points were resonating with male voters across the country. "For the women in your lives that you love, to the men out here, their lives are literally at risk here," he said joyfully. One example Walz cited of reaching out to male voters was "showing them about this, that, you know, that you can hunt," referring to his awkward pheasant hunting outing with social media influencers.
Alyssa Farah Griffin asked Walz to explain his repeated false statements about his military service and travels to China but prefaced the question by saying that "nobody lies as much as Donald Trump." Walz happily agreed that Trump was a "pathological liar" but once again failed to provide a compelling explanation of his numerous lies. "I do think it's important that we're careful about how we speak. Something for me is, I think, being a teacher, being a coach, I just speak from my heart, I speak honestly, I speak in the moment," he said. "I think the public sees this, the—just the massive amount of missed information [sic] that gets poured out there [incomprehensible] important to be detailed."
The liberal co-hosts nodded along throughout the interview as the audience applauded. They congratulated Walz on his "F" rating from the National Rifle Association and played clips of other Democrats complimenting his wardrobe. Goldberg called him a "fashion icon" before unveiling the plaid shirt branded with The View's logo. She concluded by thanking "Vice President Tim Walz" for coming on the show. He promised to come back.