Tim Walz admits he is a ‘knucklehead’ at times and insists he ‘misspoke’ when he said he was in Hong Kong during Tiananmen Square protests
Gov. Tim Walz tried to explain during the vice presidential debate why he falsely claimed he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests in June 1989.
During the debate, Walz tried to dismiss his comment as the product of an “idiot,” but ultimately admitted that he “made a mistake” when pressed by the CBS debate moderator.
Walz repeatedly claimed during his political career that he was in China during the protests, but reports from Minnesota Public Radio indicated that Walz did not leave for China until August. The protests began in the spring of 1989 and ended in early June.
When one of the debate moderators asked him to explain his claim, Walz dodged and began reminding the audience where he came from.
Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz tries to explain his claim that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests
“I grew up in small rural Nebraska, town of 400, town where you rode with your friends until the streets came up and I’m proud of that service…” he began before going on to describe his service at the National Guard .
“I poured my heart out to my community. “I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I haven’t been perfect and sometimes I’ve been an idiot, but that’s always what it’s been about,” he continued.
He continued to remind viewers that despite his mistakes, he was elected to Congress and was eventually elected governor of Minnesota.
“A lot of times I’ll talk a lot, I’ll get caught up in the rhetoric, but being there, the impact it made, the difference in my life, I learned a lot about China,” Walz continued.
When pressed for the answer by CBS News debate moderator Margaret Brennan, Walz said he couldn’t explain his comment but that he was in China in the summer of 1989 and “made a mistake.”
In this June 5, 1989 file photo, a Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing’s Changan Boulevard. in Tiananmen Square.
“So I was in Hong Kong, China, when anti-democracy protests were happening,” he said. ‘And from that I learned a lot about what needs to be done in the board.’
Walz repeatedly claimed he was in China during the Tiananmen Square protests, including most recently in June 2019.
“I was in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989, when of course Tiananmen Square happened,” Walz said.
He made a similar claim during a 2009 congressional hearing marking the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests.
“Twenty years ago today, I was in Hong Kong preparing to go to Foshan to teach at the Foshan No. 1 Middle School,” he said on June 4, 2009.