Minnesota Governor Tim Walz acknowledged Sunday that the Democratic Party fell short in delivering results for Americans while it held power, stating that Democrats “didn’t pass things that improved people’s lives.”
His comments came during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union with host Jake Tapper.
Walz, a Democrat, appeared on the program to discuss the party’s messaging struggles and policy shortcomings, particularly on immigration and cultural issues.
Elon Musk Called This Financial News ‘Terrifying’
Tapper raised the question of whether Democratic messaging was the problem or if voters were simply rejecting the party’s platform altogether, especially on issues like immigration, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and so-called “woke” policies.
“The issues you identified there were immigration, DEI and woke,” Tapper said.
“You think Democrats’ problem was that you just didn’t do a good enough job explaining the policies, and not that voters simply didn’t just reject what you were selling, particularly on immigration, I wonder?”
In response, Walz defended the party’s efforts but admitted that the implementation and follow-through were lacking.
FREE Concealed Carry Gun Laws & Reciprocity Map
“No, on immigration, what we were asking for is a bipartisan policy that strengthens immigration control, that recognizes that we need a workforce here, that they should be allowed here legally, and that when they get here, they’re part of the American fabric. That is the bipartisan bill,” Walz said.
He then took aim at President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement actions.
“We had Donald Trump snatching up college grad students and sending them back, or sending folks to El Salvador illegally. That’s not the policy,” he said.
“But for us to them to say, we don’t care that violent criminals come in, we most certainly do. What we were asking for is the resources to make sure they don’t get here.”
Walz also tried to reframe what he described as misunderstood Democratic initiatives.
“The same thing with the other policies. It’s not a woke policy to provide food for children to get breakfast and lunch, and we get better outcomes from that,” he said.
“They define things on their terms that weren’t true.”
He continued by invoking broader policy objectives involving race and economic disparities.
“What I’m saying is, are we going to turn away from being a country of legal immigration? Are we going to turn away from a country that that thinks diversity and making sure that we don’t have gaps in income between blacks and whites? Those are policies that have strengthened America,” he said.
Later in the interview, Walz directly criticized his party’s performance while holding majorities.
“I think what we allowed ourselves to do is we got timid and then when we got power, we didn’t pass things that improved people’s lives,” he said.
“This whole idea, I think the Democratic Party gets theoretical, you know, talk about food insecurity. People are hungry get them food. People don’t have a house make sure they have a living wage,” Walz added.
Walz’s remarks come as the Democratic Party continues to analyze losses and underperformance in recent elections.
The 2024 general election resulted in Joe Biden stepping down from the race in July following a series of policy criticisms and growing concerns about his leadership.
Kamala Harris ultimately failed to secure enough support to win the presidency, losing to Donald Trump in November.
The Democratic Party now faces mounting pressure to re-evaluate its policy direction and voter outreach ahead of future election cycles.
American Made Patriotic Apparel – Save 15% with Promo Code MERICA