Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz followed the path of Vice President Kamala Harris in delivering an impassioned concession speech Friday, where he acknowledged the Democratic tickets’ bruising election night defeat while injecting his own brand of humor that he became known for on the campaign trail.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a week,” Walz said as he opened his first public remarks since it became clear Donald Trump would return to the White House. “It’s good to be home,” he told the crowd in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
“You know I’ve gotten to see a lot of America over the last three months – more than I thought I was going to see. I’ve made many new friends, I’ve learned a lot of new things, I ate way too much local food, but I can order donuts people! I can order donuts,” Walz said in an apparent dig at his opponent, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), who on the campaign trail struggled to order at a donut shop.
But Walz also struck a defiant tone toward “what’s coming down the pike” in Trump’s new administration.
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“I still believe with all my heart that America can be a place where no child is left hungry, no community is left behind, and no one gets told they don’t belong,” Walz said, while describing his vice presidential run as “the honor of a lifetime” and praising Harris’ leadership.
“I just want to acknowledge the moment, it’s hard to lose, it’s hard to understand why so many of our fellow citizens, people that we have fought so long and hard for, wound up choosing the other path,” he said.
Walz added that it was hard “to reckon with what that path looks like over the next four years,” before closing with a plea to supporters.
“If you’re feeling deflated, discouraged today, I get it. Take some time, take care of yourselves…there’s a million ways to make a positive difference and get back into this fight when you’re ready,” Walz said.
“And know that when you’re ready to get back into that fight, know that I’ll be standing right here to fight the fight with you.”
He also added a couple of moments of levity.
“Maybe when we get a little break from this campaign, we will be able to look at each other and see not enemies, but neighbors. And maybe we will sit down over coffee or a diet Mountain Dew and just talk. Talk about our kids. Talk about the lives we want to build for them,” said Walz.
And at another point, he apologized to Americans for the deluge of communications.
“I’m sorry about the fundraising texts,” he said.
Watch the speech below or at this link.
