It looks like Democrat Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota is in some hot water after making some false claims about Republican Senator JD Vance during a recent campaign event. The Washington Post fact-checked Walz’s statements and didn’t hold back, giving him a full “four Pinocchios” for his inaccurate remarks—a rating reserved for the most egregious falsehoods.
So, what exactly did Walz say that was so misleading? During a speech to a union audience, Walz claimed that Vance, who is Donald Trump’s running mate, has “never cast a vote on a pro-worker bill in his life.” Walz went on to say that Vance is one of only four senators with such a record and suggested that neither Trump nor Vance knows anything about working people, accusing them of only knowing how to “take advantage” of workers.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien is impressed with VP pick JD Vance:
“He’s been great on Teamster issues. He’s been right there on all our issues.” pic.twitter.com/c0eip1yGfZ
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) July 15, 2024
Now, that’s a pretty strong accusation, but it turns out it’s not grounded in reality. The Washington Post fact-checkers were “struck” by how specific and false Walz’s claim was. They noted that it seemed like Walz might have borrowed this talking point from a far-Left interest group.
After digging into the facts, the Post found that Walz’s so-called “source” for this claim was a union report card that only covered two bills in one year. That’s a pretty limited scope, especially when you’re trying to paint someone as anti-worker.
In reality, Vance has voted for at least two bills that had strong support from unions and directly helped workers. This contradicts Walz’s sweeping statement that Vance has “never” supported pro-worker legislation.
Additionally, the Post pointed out that the idea Vance doesn’t understand working people is simply untrue—after all, Vance’s bestselling book, Hillbilly Elegy, is all about his own experiences growing up in a working-class environment. Vance has also been recognized for his efforts in pushing pro-worker and pro-family legislation, with the Teamsters President Sean O’Brien even praising him recently for his support of workers.
CNN’s Jake Tapper Revolted By Couch-Sex-Involved ‘Gross Smear’ Of Trump VP Pick Vance: ‘What Happened To We Go High?’ https://t.co/8VaJeevpxM via @mediaite pic.twitter.com/UiiCXIE83M
— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) August 8, 2024
This isn’t the first time Walz has gotten into trouble for making false claims about Vance. In fact, during his first rally with Vice President Kamala Harris, Walz repeated a vulgar and false smear about Vance that was so out of line that even CNN’s Jake Tapper called it out on his show, labeling it a “gross smear.”
