Walz vows to fight Trump and reach out to his supporters when he returns to Minnesota

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz vowed to protect his state from President-elect Donald Trump’s “hateful agenda” as he delivered a speech Friday afternoon in Eagen, Minnesota.

“The other side spent a lot of time campaigning and talking about it and promising that they would leave things to the states. Well, I’m willing to take them at their word,” said Walz, who was Vice President Kamala Harris’ Democratic nominee and whose second term as governor ends in 2027.

“The moment they try to push a hateful agenda in this state, I will be ready to stand up and fight,” the 60-year-old governor said as supporters applauded.

“As long as I am governor of Minnesota, we will protect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions,” Walz said, part of a chorus that also included welcoming immigrants and “steadfastness.”[ing] with the rest of the world in the fight against climate change.”

“As long as I am governor of Minnesota, we will defend our children’s freedom to go to school without fear of being shot in their classroom,” Walz said.

After promising to fight the Trump-Vance agenda, he extended an olive branch to Trump-supporting Minnesotans.

“I want to say and acknowledge this: Approximately one and a half million of our fellow Minnesotans voted for the other side in this election,” Walz said. He later added, “And while there may not be a place in our state for the most extreme elements of this agenda, there should be a place in our politics for everyone to be heard.”

“I think we should swallow, and that’s on me when I talk about myself, swallow a little bit of pride and look a little more for common ground with our neighbors who didn’t vote the way we did ‘This election,’ said Walz.

“Maybe if we take a little break from this campaign we’re in, we can look at each other and see not enemies but neighbors, and maybe we can sit down together over a coffee or a Diet Mountain Dew and just talk, talk about our children, talk about the life we ​​want to build for them,” Walz said. “Talk about the things that really matter: how we treat each other, how we look after each other, and how we support each other in difficult times.