By Shawna Mizelle, James LaPorta
/ CBS News
Walz stumbles on Tiananmen Square claim
At his first campaign stop since the vice presidential debate, Tim Walz sought to clarify comments he has made about his travel to China and Hong Kong in 1989 as bloody pro-democracy protests took place.
Walz admitted during the debate that he had previously misspoken in 2014 when he said he was in mainland China between April and June 1989, during the Tiananmen Square protests, which took place between April 15 and June 4 of that year. After that concession, however, Walz repeated the mistatement, saying, “So, I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests, went in, and from that I learned a lot of what needed to be in governance.”
Butan Alliance Times-Herald news report from May 1989 shows then-Staff Sgt. Walz was in the U.S. and toured a Nebraska Army National Guard armory. A news radio station also reported in another Nebraska newspaper in August 1989 that Walz said he would “leave Sunday en route to China,” which was after the protests.
Responding to a question about his remarks from CBS News in Middleville, Pennsylvania, Walz corrected himself and admitted he had his dates wrong, adding that he needs to be clearer when he speaks.
“So, my clarity, to take away from the message, is something I want to be very clear — August of ’89 into Hong Kong, into China,” said the Minnesota governor, who often talks fast and in shorthand.
Walz also clarified a verbal misstatement from the debate, when he said he was friends with school shooters. The moment was quickly seized upon by Republicans and former President Donald Trump, who posted on Truth Social about it.
Walz, a former teacher and football coach, said that although he misspoke, it is “pretty damn clear” that he has stood with school shooting victims and passed legislation in an effort to curb such violence.
In the same conversation at the debate on Tuesday night, Walz mentioned that his teenage son, Gus, was a witness to a shooting. On the campaign trail, Walz often says that even though he supports the Second Amendment, he doesn’t think that should allow children to be shot dead in the hallways.
Walz’s rally Wednesday in York, Pennsylvania, was filled with supporters who defended him.
“Who can remember where they were 30 years ago?” Joan Nagy, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania asked.
“Anybody can make a mistake,” Les Ford said, adding, “When’s the last time you heard Donald Trump or his running mate correct themselves?”
After rolling into the rally on the Harris-Walz campaign bus to address a crowd of around 2,000, Walz leaned in further on his debate performance.
“Anybody watch the debate last night? Not bad for a football coach, huh?,” he quipped.
“Now, look, there is a reason Mike Pence was not on that stage with me,” he said. Walz added, “I served with Mike Pence in Congress. We disagreed on most issues, but in Congress and as a vice president, I never criticized Mike Pence’s ethics and commitment to this country, Walz said. “And he made the decision for the Constitution. Mike Pence did his duty. He honored his oath, and he chose the Constitution over Donald Trump,” Walz said.
“Senator Vance made it clear he will always make a different choice than Mike Pence made,” Walz said, referring to Pence’s refusal to give in to pressure by Trump to not certify the 2020 presidential election. Vance has said that he wouldn’t have certified the election, as Pence had, which Walz said “should be absolutely disqualifying if you’re asking to be the vice president of the United States.”
During their debate, “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell noted that Vance has said he wouldn’t have certified the last presidential election and would have asked the states to submit alternative electors, and she asked, “Would you again seek to challenge this year’s election results, even if every governor certifies the results?”
Vance did not directly answer, saying only, “What President Trump has said is that there were problems in 2020 and my own belief is we should fight about those issues, debate those issues peacefully in the public square.”
