What Tim Walz meant when he said he was “friends with school shooters”

THere was a moment from Tuesday’s vice presidential debate that Donald Trump kept thinking about. The former president posted about it eight times on Truth Social, and his campaign and supporters have also joined in, a sharp contrast to the remarkable cordiality on stage between Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, was shown’ running mate, Minn. Gov. Tim Walz.

Read more: Vance outperformed Walz in the debate, where the race is unlikely to change

“I became friends with school shooters,” Walz said, apparently referring to the parents of school shooting victims.

“Is he crazy?” Trump wrote that it was “a very big mistake.”

Trump’s campaign team shared a recent video clip on X that received over 5 million views within a few hours.

“Oops! “Not ready for prime time,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. “A faux pas in the 2024 election,” said conservative social media influencer Andy Ngo, while longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz said it “could be the worst line in any debate in 2024.”

“This is concerning,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), one of several Trump-supporting congresswomen who also highlighted the moment.

“My daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting,” Andrew Pollack, a pro-Trump school safety activist, said in a widely shared post on X. “It is absolutely despicable that Tim Walz has become friends with school shooters.” Disqualifying.”

Elon Musk, who has supported Trump, called it “stunning” and shared a clown emoji.

Walz’s comments came during a discussion about school shootings, shortly after Vance was asked whether he thought parents of school shootings should be held criminally responsible. It depends on the circumstances, Vance said, adding, “We know, unfortunately, that many children are going to experience this terrible epidemic of gun violence…we have to do better.” And I think Gov. Walz and I probably agree on that that we have to do better here. The question is, how do we actually do that?” Vance proposed stronger border security to curb the flow of illegal weapons into the country and increase school security. Then it was Walz’s turn to answer.

“I was sitting in my office, surrounded by dozens of Sandy Hook parents, and they were looking at my seven-year-old’s picture on the wall. Her 7-year-old was dead,” Walz said. “This idea that we should just live with it,” he added, noting that he believes Vance genuinely cares about the issue, “that doesn’t go far enough.” Walz cited his own background as a hunter and gun owner said he and Harris would not take people’s guns away. “You can still keep your firearms and we can make a difference,” he said.

Asked about his change of position on an assault weapons ban, which he opposed early in his congressional career but now publicly supports, Walz said: “I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents . I became friends with school shooters. I saw it.”

“This idea of ​​stigmatizing mental health doesn’t mean that just because you have a mental health problem you’re violent. And I think in the end we’re looking for a scapegoat. Sometimes it’s just the weapons. It’s just the weapons, and there are things you can do about them. But I think this is one. And I think that [is] a healthy conversation. I think there is a possibility of finding working solutions for this. Protect the Second Amendment, protect our children. That is our priority.”

Conservative ridicule over Walz’s apparent misrepresentation continued to grow after the debate, particularly after a clip circulated of reporters asking Walz to clarify his comment, to which he failed to respond.

“The guy is a total sociopath,” said far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, with whom Trump has been criticized for being associated.

Jumping on Walz’s blunders after the debate marks a significant change in tone from the way the two candidates interacted on stage. While Walz and Vance insulted each other on the campaign trail, both took a more friendly approach to the debate – in contrast to the more combative presidential debate between Trump and Harris last month. The tone of the vice presidential debate was hailed by viewers as “respectful” and a sign of “hope” for American politics.

Vance and Walz said several times that they agreed with certain points made by each other, but focused their criticism primarily on the opponent’s top points.

“I think you want to solve this problem,” Vance said during a discussion about immigration after Walz made a similar remark, “but I don’t think Kamala Harris does.”

When speaking about abortion, Walz said, “I agree with a lot of what Senator Vance said about what happened. His running mate, however, does not. And that’s the problem.”

Read more: JD Vance is trying to trick America into thinking he is a moderate on abortion

At one point, Vance expressed concern and mercy when Walz recounted that his teenage son witnessed a shooting at a community center. “I’m sorry,” Vance said. “Christ, have mercy.”

Shortly before his closing remarks, Walz said: “I enjoyed the debate tonight and think there was a lot of common ground here. And I understand when it comes to false statements.”

“Me too, man,” Vance replied.

Walz, who has previously come under fire for making false statements – including claiming he carried a gun “in war” when he wasn’t at war, and falsely describing the type of fertility treatment he and his wife underwent – mistakes he sees as poor grammar and “passionate speaking” – admitted on Tuesday that he can be a “knucklehead”. During the debate, he made even more slips of the tongue, including confusing Israel and Iran, and making false statements about his previous experiences visiting China.

Some conservative commentators tried to maintain the polite spirit of the vice presidential candidates and downplay the focus on Walz’s blunders. “Walz obviously made a mistake, he didn’t mean that he had made friends with school shooters. Come on. This is a good, high spirited debate these days. Let’s not make anything up,” said Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy. Guy Benson, also a Fox News contributor, called it an “innocent misrepresentation.” And comment Editor John Podhoretz said: “Walz obviously meant that he had befriended parents whose children were tragically shot. People will forgive him for his false statement. As long as it’s true.”

The Harris campaign, meanwhile, appears to be countering the ridicule of Walz’s gaffe by focusing on the substance of his broader comments on guns. The Harris campaign posted several clips on social media of Walz’s comments from the same segment, including one with the gaffe, and also shared an MSNBC clip in which a college voter criticized Vance’s claim that school shootings were caused by a boost school safety should be addressed. “It’s about guns, not better door locks,” the student said, echoing Walz’s favorite saying from the debate: “Sometimes it’s just the guns.”