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topicnews · October 6, 2024

Walz says he will “admit it” if he slips up as Democrats gain more and more media interviews

Walz says he will “admit it” if he slips up as Democrats gain more and more media interviews

Josh Boak
| Associated Press

Washington — Nearly a week after verbal stumbles in the only vice presidential debate, Democrat Tim Walz used his first campaign appearance on a Sunday newscast to deflect criticism of his stance on abortion rights and “own up” to past misrepresentations.

The interview on “Fox News Sunday” reflected a broader media onslaught by presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate as Democrats seek to gain public attention in the final 30 days of the campaign against Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance.

Harris recorded an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that will air Monday night. She is booked Tuesday on Howard Stern’s satellite radio show, ABC’s “The View” and “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert on CBS. Her interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast is scheduled to be released later on Sunday. Walz will appear on Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC show on Monday.

In an excerpt published from the “60 Minutes” interview, Harris tried to dodge the question of whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “a really close ally,” saying, “The better question is: Do we have an important alliance among Americans?” “People and the people of Israel? And the answer to that question is yes.”

Walz’s Fox appearance also touched on the unrest in the Middle East, as host Shannon Bream pressed Minnesota’s governor on whether Israel had the right to launch a preemptive attack on Iran’s nuclear and oil facilities in response to Tehran’s missile launches against Israel to carry out. Walz didn’t fully answer that question during his debate last week with Vance, a senator from Ohio.

Walz said Sunday that “specific operations will be addressed at this time” and spoke of “consequences for what they do.”

He said Israel has the right to defend itself and that Harris worked with Israel last week to repel the Iranian attack. President Joe Biden said last week he would not support an Israeli attack on sites linked to Tehran’s nuclear program.

Walz defended a law he signed as governor to ensure abortion protections, saying it “puts the decision in the hands of the woman and her health care providers.”

Trump has said he will not enact a nationwide abortion ban, and during Sunday’s interview Walz was asked if he called that “a complete lie.”

“Yes…of course,” Walz said.

On the economy, Walz said Harris’ proposals would make life more affordable for the middle class by helping build 3 million new homes and expanding tax credits for parents. He said the tariffs imposed by Trump could increase costs for a typical family by an estimated $4,000 a year.

Walz also faced questions in the interview about false statements related to his military service, his arrest for drunken driving, his family’s infertility treatment and his claims that he was in Hong Kong before the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in China .

“I will admit if I misspeak,” Walz said. “I will admit when I make a mistake.”

He said he thought voters were more concerned that Vance was unable to acknowledge during their debate that Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden and that there may be limitations on the infertility treatment through intrauterine insemination that his wife, Gwen, received .

“I think they’re probably a lot more worried about this than my wife and I, who used IUI to have our child, and that Donald Trump would restrict that,” Walz said. “So I think people know who I am.”

Bream noted that Trump has spoken in favor of fertility treatments even as he has said abortion issues should be decided by states.

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