Tim Walz quote is about GOP views on gun violence, not Kamala Harris | Fact check
The claim: Tim Walz said ‘we can’t afford four more years’ of Kamala Harris
A Sept. 21 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a video of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz speaking at a lectern.
“We can’t afford four more years of this,” Walz says in the clip.
On-screen text in the video reads, “Kamala is in office right now. She’s the ‘this.'"
The Instagram post received more than 20,000 likes in six days.
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Our rating: False
The full video makes clear Walz is referencing his Republican opponents and their views on gun violence, not Harris' record as vice president.
Statement from Walz refers to gun violence, not Harris
The six-second clip in the Instagram post was taken from Walz’s 44-minute campaign speech held Sept. 21 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. During that appearance, the Minnesota governor touched on themes ranging from reproductive rights to the economy.
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But the Instagram post misleads about the subject of the Walz statement it cites. Video of the complete speech makes clear Walz is referring to his Republican opponents and his characterization of their views on gun violence, not his running mate’s record as vice president.
In the moments before Walz makes the statement central to the post's claim, he brings up the threat of school shootings and what he describes as a culture of fear around gun violence.
He says that former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, said “people just need to know how to get over” mass shootings and that Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, called shootings “just a fact of life.” Those statements refer to comments made by Trump after a Jan. 4 shooting at an Iowa high school and by Vance, who said after a Sept. 4 shooting at a Georgia high school that “I don’t like that this is a fact of life.”
The statement in question came as Walz drew a distinction between his campaigns' views on the issue.
“Look, Kamala Harris made it clear," he said. “These guys want to instill fear. They want to tell you that, ‘Just get over it. It's a fact of life. This is the way it is.’ She simply has said it doesn't have to be this way. It doesn't have to be this way. We can't afford, we can't afford four more years of this.”
In the weeks since Harris chose him as her running mate, Walz has been a subject of misinformation on social media. USA TODAY previously debunked false claims that he misrepresented his military record in remarks about Afghanistan, was photographed wearing blackface and attacked commentator Ann Coulter on social media.
The Instagram user who shared the post could not be reached for comment by USA TODAY.
PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
PBS NewsHour (YouTube), Sept. 21, WATCH: Walz speaks at campaign rally in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
C-SPAN, Sept. 21, Gov. Tim Walz Campaigns in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Tim Walz quote wasn't aimed at Kamala Harris | Fact check