Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz continues to make national media appearances as a surrogate for President Joe Biden, most recently appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
During his Sunday appearance, Walz said he “absolutely” believes Biden is the best candidate for the job and called him “one of the most highly-effective presidents we’ve ever seen.”
“This is not a debate about Joe Biden’s age or experience; it’s a debate about protecting Democracy,” said Walz, who again pushed back on fellow Minnesotan Rep. Dean Phillips’ calls for a Biden primary challenger.
"Biden has been one of the most highly effective presidents we've ever seen." – @GovTimWalz pic.twitter.com/YBRD35W1Lz
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) August 20, 2023
“Yes, I do believe the president is the best one. I believe he has delivered and his record shows that and anything other than that is simply distraction,” the governor continued.
Host Chuck Todd then asked Walz what he makes of the fact that “fewer people want Biden to run again than even Trump to run again.”
“What do you make of that, that Joe Biden seems to not have this groundswell of support right now? Do you think it’s all age?” Todd asked.
This apparent lack of enthusiasm around Biden’s candidacy is the fault of “our system” and Donald Trump, according to Walz.
Joe Biden is unpopular because of Donald Trump, according to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. pic.twitter.com/e6CZ9vpQaU
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) August 21, 2023
“No, I think it’s our system. I think Donald Trump and the Republican Party have poisoned it to people. No one trusts our institutions. No one trusts Congress. No one trusts any of us because alls they do is attack our families, do those types of things,” Walz replied.
The governor was also asked to comment on the state of the Republican presidential primary ahead of Wednesday’s first debate.
“The minute they all step on the stage the American people have lost,” Walz said, calling the GOP field a “pretty weird group of folks.”
“Are they going to debate who can ban the most books?” Walz asked, a reference to parental efforts to remove sexually-explicit books from school libraries.
Phillips, meanwhile, reportedly met with party donors earlier this month about a possible bid for the White House but indicated in an interview over the weekend that that is unlikely to happen.
“Setting up a competitive campaign, the infrastructure, the people, the systems in multi-states, requires a tremendous amount of effort and time, and there are people who have laid that groundwork. I’m not one of them,” he told the Star Tribune. “Perhaps in the future. We’ll see about that.”
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
