Walz reemerges as Democratic fighter with shots at Musk

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) all but disappeared after he and former Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential race to President Trump in November.

But while Harris has remained out of the spotlight, Walz has reemerged in a series of interviews and public appearances where he has sought to explain why the Democratic ticket didn’t win.

He’s also taken aim at Republicans and tech mogul Elon Musk, lending his voice to the Democratic resistance against Trump.

Some Democrats have quipped that the appearances and comments are a “rehabilitation tour” as Walz seeks to distance himself from the grueling loss while also leaving the door open for a possible presidential run in 2028.

“When you're a politician, your job is to constantly think about how you can serve,” Democratic strategist Joel Payne said.

“He's not an old guy so it's not unreasonable for him to think he's one of the important voices in the party going forward,” Payne added of the 60-year-old Walz.

“And Democrats are in a place where all voices are welcome,” Payne added. “Democrats need all of the heavies.”

Walz appeared on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) buzzy podcast, where he sought to give his assessment of the 2024 race and the shaky state of the Democratic Party. During the appearance, Walz also claimed Trump voters are “scared” of his masculinity.

“I think I scare them a little bit, [which is] why they spend so much time on me,” Walz told Newsom, another potential 2028 presidential candidate for Democrats.

Newsom began to laugh at the comment, prompting Walz to say: “No, I’m serious, because they know I can fix a truck, they know I’m not bulls‑‑‑ting on this.”

This week, at a town hall in the swing state of Wisconsin, Walz took aim at Musk, the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tearing down federal agencies.

“On the iPhone, they've got that little stock app,” Walz said. “I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day.”

Tesla, Musk’s company, has seen its stock plunge this year.

Walz's comments received plaudits from Democrats, who have been looking for fighters to take on Trump and Musk.

But Republicans — together with Musk — said the remarks highlighted why Walz not only lost in November, but negatively contributed to the Democratic ticket.

“Sometimes when I need a little boost, I look at the @JDVance portrait in the White House and thank the lord,” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform that he owns.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump also called Walz “a loser” after a reporter asked him what he made of comments the governor made about Trump supporters.

“He lost an election,” Trump replied. “He played a part. You know, usually a vice president doesn’t play a part, they say. I think Tim played a part."

“I think he was so bad that he hurt her,” Trump continued. “But she hurt herself and Joe hurt them both. They didn’t have a great group. But I would probably put him at the bottom of the group.”

Initially, after Harris picked Walz to be her running mate in August, the former high school football coach and hunter excited the Democratic base. Democrats lauded his ability to speak to moderate Democrats and also independents and some Republicans.

But in postmortems of the campaign, Democrats have criticized the campaign operation for playing it too safe and not utilizing Walz in the best ways. There has been some second-guessing on whether Harris would have been better off picking Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) as her running mate.

Walz addressed some of those sentiments in a recent interview, where he appeared to recount where he thinks the campaign went wrong.

“I think we probably should have just rolled the dice and done the town halls where [voters] may say you’re full of s‑‑‑. I don’t believe in you,” Walz said in the interview with Politico. “I think there could have been more of that.”

“We as a party are more cautious,” Walz went on to explain, referring to the way the Democratic Party handles media in general.

Walz appears to be taking a different approach now, pleasing Democrats who say he’s an effective voice as the party opposes Trump and rebuilds their sagging brand.

“He was and is a very good messenger and communicator until he got put in a box during the campaign,” Democratic strategist Eddie Vale said, adding that Walz is “trying to show that he’s still got his fastball.”

But other strategists say Walz, while an avatar for “Minnesota nice,” has to take a different tack if he has bigger political aspirations.

“He should be less coy and more assertive if he wants to run for president,” said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon. “That’s what voters want and Democrats need.”

Tobe Berkovitz, a communications professor emeritus at Boston University who worked as a political media consultant, said Walz’s attempts at political rehabilitation are falling short.

“After a terrible campaign to be vice president, Gov. Walz is stumbling through a series of events and media appearances to present himself as a possible presidential candidate,” Berkovitz said. “This should be on the highlight reel presenting the desperation of the Democrats as they look forward to the 2026 and 2028 elections.”

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