As former President Trump criticizes Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for his reaction to the unrest in the state in May 2020 following George Floyd’s murder, a newly released audio recording reveals that Trump had commended Walz at that time for how effectively he “dominated” the situation.
In the audio clip obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, Trump was engaged in a phone conversation with Walz and other governors and officials on June 1, 2020.
“What they did in Minneapolis was extraordinary. They moved in and took control right away,” Trump stated to Walz and the other participants on the call.
Walz, who has been Minnesota’s governor since 2019, was selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on Tuesday, drawing attention to his management of the riots that erupted in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020.
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Flames from a nearby fire illuminate protesters standing on a barricade in front of the Third Police Precinct on May 28, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a riot over the death of George Floyd.
(Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)
Walz activated the National Guard three days later to quell the violence, which included the destruction of a police station, but critics argue that both he and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey were slow to take necessary actions. Walz and Frey each assigned blame to the other regarding the delays.
Walz has faced criticism for his slow response in deploying the National Guard to Minneapolis during the riots in May 2020.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Trump offered federal assistance to Walz at the time, but the governor declined the offer.
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Trump did not assign blame to Walz during that time for the delays, later stating: “I don’t blame you. I blame the mayor.”
“I was very pleased with how things were going in the last couple of days, Tim,” Trump mentioned during the call. “You mobilized a large force, and they responded so quickly, it was like knocking down bowling pins.”
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However, on Wednesday, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt informed The Associated Press in a statement that Trump was merely acknowledging that Walz took action to end the violence after several days of chaos and disorder in Minneapolis.
Trump can be heard praising Walz for his actions during the unrest in a resurfaced phone call from June 1, 2020, though the former president has recently criticized the governor.
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“Governor Walz allowed the situation in Minneapolis to escalate for several days, despite President Trump’s offer to deploy soldiers and requests for assistance from the liberal Mayor of Minneapolis,” Leavitt stated. “During this daily briefing phone call with governors on June 1, just days after the riots started, President Trump recognized Governor Walz for finally taking action to deploy the National Guard to restore order in the city.”
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Fox Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Fox Digital’s Michael Lee and Chris Pandolfo, along with The Associated Press contributed to this report.
