Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz has come under fire for her comments regarding the violent riots that shook Minneapolis in 2020. A resurfaced video clip showcased Walz in a rather questionable light, just as her husband, Governor Tim Walz, is thrust onto the national stage as Vice President Kamala Harris’s choice for running mate.

The clip, dating back to a 2020 interview, captures Gwen Walz discussing the early days of the Black Lives Matter riots with a disturbing sense of nostalgia. “I could smell the burning tires,” Walz recounted. “That was a very real thing. And I kept the windows open for as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening.”

The timing of the clip’s resurfacing could not be more inopportune for Governor Tim Walz, who was recently announced as Vice President Harris’s running mate in the upcoming election. Harris, who assumed the party’s nomination after President Joe Biden’s unexpected withdrawal last month, praised Walz’s “leadership and dedication” as key factors in her decision. Walz, a former Congressman and current second-term Governor, is seen as a crucial figure in an attempt to strengthen the Democrat ticket.

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Tim Walz was in office during the Black Lives Matter riots in 2020, which began in Minneapolis before spreading throughout the nation. Before a trial had occurred, Walz condemned Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin and said the infamous video of his encounter with George Floyd was “disturbing.”

“The lack of humanity in this disturbing video is sickening. We will get answers and seek justice,” he said at the time. Chauvin was ultimately convicted of murder — after nationwide riots that killed more than 20 people and caused billions of dollars in property damage — though the trial has become a subject of intense controversy. Hundreds of pages of sworn testimony from Hennepin County prosecutors have now revealed that prosecutors acknowledged the “extreme pressure” to prosecute Derrick Chauvin and three additional former Minneapolis police officers. According to a report from Alpha News, multiple employees of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, including a prosecutor, withdrew after stating that the pressure to charge the other three officers involved, “violated professional and ethical rules.”

While on the campaign trail for Vice President Harris, Walz has referred to former President Donald Trump as a “fascist” who cannot be allowed to gain power. “These guys are just weird. That’s who they are. So, it isn’t much else. Don’t give them the power,” Walz told a crowd of Democratic voters just days after former President Trump was nearly assassinated at a rally in western Pennsylvania.

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“Look, are they a threat to democracy? Yes. Are they going to take our rights away? Yes. Are they going to put people’s lives in danger? Yes. Are they going to endanger the planet by not dealing with climate change? Yes. They’re going to do all that, but don’t lift these guys up like they’re sometimes heroes,” he continued. “Everybody in this room knows, I know it as a teacher, a bully has no self-confidence. A bully has no strength. They have nothing. The fascists depend on fear. The fascists depend on us going back. But we’re not afraid of weird people. We’re a little bit creeped out, but we’re not afraid.”

The Walz pick comes just days after Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was widely believed to be the pick. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker had tweeted and quickly deleted a video in support of the “Harris-Shapiro” campaign, causing betting odds to soar. Shapiro had drawn ire from the party’s progressive faction due to his past support of Israel and service in the IDF, however. Starting with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Harris and Walz plan on attending every battleground state in the nation over the next several days. Several polls have found the race tightening significantly since President Biden stepped aside, with some even showing Harris ahead after weeks of Trump dominance.

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