Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., lied repeatedly during the vice presidential debate against Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, on everything from Iran to the border. Here are some of his most notable lies from the night.
1. Harris Stands Strong Against Iran
Iran launched a barrage of missile attacks against Israel Oct. 1, the same day as the debate. Walz blamed Trump for emboldening Iran, ignoring the steps during Vice President Kamala Harris’ tenure to enable the radical Islamic nation. “Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon than they were before because of Donald Trump’s fickle leadership,” Walz claimed.
But the Biden-Harris administration enacted a sanctions waiver in March, giving Iran access to $10 billion. During Harris’ tenure, Iran-sponsored actors have killed American soldiers and attacked Navy ships. The day of the debate, Iran directly attacked Israel. Iran is also getting dangerously close to obtaining nuclear weapons.
2. Trump Will Implement 20% Sales Tax
Trump’s tariffs on imports will jack up prices, essentially implementing a 20% sales tax across America — at least if one believes Walz. “Now he’s proposing a 20% consumption or sales tax on everything we bring in. Everyone agrees, including businesses, it would be destabilizing, it would increase inflation, and potentially lead to a recession.”
Trump, however, implemented tariffs during his first term — and prices were fine. In fact, tariffs often serve as a helpful bargaining tool with other countries and encourage American rather than foreign production of goods.
3. Walz Dodges Abortion Question
When asked if he supports abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy, as current Minnesota law allows, Walz replied, “That’s not what the bill says, but look, this issue is what’s on everyone’s mind …” He then pivoted to blame Trump for overturning Roe v. Wade and avoided the question.
But Minnesota has no restrictions on when an abortion can take place, because Walz signed a law allowing the murder of a baby at any time before birth. He also removed protections for infants born alive during an abortion and stripped funding from life-saving pregnancy resource centers.
4. Pro-Life Laws Are Killing People
Walz claimed Georgia resident Amber Thurman died from the state’s abortion restrictions.
“There’s a young woman named Amber Thurman. She happened to be in Georgia, a restrictive state. She had to travel a long distance to North Carolina to try and get her care. Amber Thurman died in that journey back and forth,” Walz said.
In reality, however, Thurman died of the abortion pill — which Democrats like Walz try to make widely available. Democrats have been taking advantage of this woman’s death to spread fear about pro-life laws.
5. Border Crossings Are Down Under Biden-Harris
While illegal immigration has skyrocketed since Biden and Harris took office, Walz claimed border crossings actually decreased. “Crossings are down compared to when Donald Trump left office,” Walz claimed.
But in 2020, U.S.-Mexico border apprehensions were less than 500,000. After Biden took office, they immediately jumped, reaching 2.05 million in 2023, according to The New York Times. In September 2023, the border patrol had more than 218,000 encounters on the southern border — and more than 269,000 last month.
Walz has supported radical policies like mass amnesty for illegals, bragged about immigration overwhelming a small Minnesota town, and offered free healthcare and college for illegals.
6. Job Growth Can Accompany Radical Climate Policies
Walz claimed radical climate policies do not harm job creation. “Reducing our impact is absolutely critical. But this is not a false choice. You can do that at the same time as you’re creating the jobs,” Walz said.
But Harris previously supported the socialist Green New Deal, which would kill 1.4 million jobs. Both names on the ticket have backed radical climate policies, with Harris supporting fracking bans and carbon taxes, and Walz pushing for 100% carbon-free energy in Minnesota by 2040.
7. Trump Is More Likely To Imprison Political Opponents
Apparently Walz has not heard about the politicized prosecutions against Trump, as he feigned concern about imprisoning political opponents. “The thing I’m most concerned about is the idea that, imprisoning your political opponents.”
Never mind arresting elderly pro-life protestors and clergy. Or the FBI’s election interference and targeting of Trump. Or the lack of due process for Jan. 6 prisoners. Or the Department of Homeland Security saying religion is an indicator of “extremism.” Or any of the weaponization of the justice system that escalated during the Biden/Harris administration.
8. Harris Will Leave Your Guns Alone
Walz claimed Harris is not coming for Americans’ guns. “No one’s trying to scaremonger and say we’re taking your guns,” Walz claimed.
But Harris has consistently shown her colors as a rabid anti-gun extremist, saying in 2020 the government should force gun owners to sell any unapproved firearms. After Democrats kicked Biden off the ticket, she touted gun control in her first speech as presumptive nominee.
9. Walz Was In Hong Kong During Tiananmen Square Massacre
The moderator asked Walz about his previous claims he was in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in China, even though he was in Nebraska at the time. “Many times I will talk a lot, I will get caught up in the rhetoric, but being there, the impact it made, the difference it made in my life, I learned a lot about China,” Walz said in the debate.
The moderator pushed Walz to answer. “I got there that summer and misspoke on this. So that’s what I’ve said. So I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests,” Walz replied.
Walz in fact has an extensive history with China. He traveled most summers to China from 1992 to 2003, even honeymooning there. Congress recently subpoenaed DHS for records concerning Walz’s ties to China.
10. Loophole For Haitians In Springfield, Ohio Existed ‘Since 1990’
After moderator Margaret Brennan “fact-checked” Vance and noted that many of the Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, “have legal status,” Vance explained that illegal immigrants can use the “CBP One App” to circumvent the usual approval process to get legal status in the U.S. “at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand.” As the moderator continued to interrupt Vance, Walz jumped in to say “those laws have been on the books since 1990.”
While Walz may have misheard Vance, his comment appeared to be referencing the CBP One App. If this was the case, it is a lie, as the agency launched the app in 2020 and expanded it in 2023.
11. Harris/Walz Are Better For Industry
Walz painted himself and Harris as the pro-union and pro-manufacturing candidates while discussing foreign jobs being shipped overseas.
“I’m a union guy on this. I’m not a guy that wanted to ship things overseas,” Walz claimed. “Kamala Harris has a record — 250,000 more manufacturing jobs just out of the IRA [Inflation Reduction Act].”
But Trump is also a “union guy,” with the majority of Teamsters members supporting him over Harris, and bringing union members on stage at rallies. And while Walz boasted that Biden-Harris had added 250,000 manufacturing jobs, this pales in comparison to Trump’s 510,000 total manufacturing jobs — including 264,000 added in 2018 alone.
The Federalist’s Shawn Fleetwood contributed to this report.
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
Logan Washburn is a staff writer covering election integrity. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.
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