Walz ladder factory comment was argument border wall is ineffective | Fact check
The claim: Tim Walz said he wanted to invest in a ladder factory to help migrants get over border wall
An Aug. 6 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes a video of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz being interviewed by CNN host Anderson Cooper.
The caption reads, “Kamala Harris VP pick Tim Walz says he should invest in a ‘ladder factory’ to help illegal INVADERS climb the border wall.”
The clip shows Walz talking about former President Donald Trump: “He talks about this wall. I always say, let me know how high it is. If it’s 25 feet, then I’ll invest in the 30-foot-ladder factory. That’s not how you stop this.”
The post was liked more than 1,000 times in 10 days.
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Our rating: False
The full context of this clip shows Walz's ladder factory reference was part of an argument that a wall is an ineffective way to secure a border. Walz didn't reference or say he supports helping anyone enter the U.S. illegally.
Walz called border wall ineffective
Trump made building a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile U.S. border with Mexico a prominent talking point during each of his presidential campaigns and his one term in the White House. While the wall fell far short of completion, health officials in border communities say migrants are injuring themselves scaling completed sections of the barrier.
But the clip, from the July 30 edition of Anderson Cooper 360, doesn't show Walz supporting such attempts.
Walz, who was serving in Congress when Trump was elected, expressed doubts in the clip about the effectiveness of the proposed wall, sarcastically talking about investing in a ladder factory. He didn't suggest he wanted to help make illegal crossings possible, he was making the point that there are simple ways to overcome a wall if that's the only barrier to entry.
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“He talks about this wall," Walz said of Trump in a segment of the episode posted on Facebook and an archiving website. "I always say, let me know how high it is. If it’s 25 feet, then I’ll invest in the 30-foot-ladder factory. That’s not how you stop this. You stop this using electronics. You stop it using more border control agents. And you stop it by having a legal system that allows for that tradition of allowing folks to come here, just like my relatives did, to come here, be able to work and establish the American dream."
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Reuters and PolitiFact also addressed the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
CNN (archive), July 30, Anderson Cooper 360
Anderson Cooper 360, July 30, Post on Facebook
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walz mocked border wall with 'ladder factory' quip | Fact check
