Governor Tim Walz attempted to explain during the vice presidential debate why he falsely claimed he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests in June 1989.
During the debate, Walz attempted to dismiss his comment as a product of being a ‘fool,’ but eventually admitted that he ‘misspoke’ when pressed by the CBS debate moderator.
Walz repeatedly claimed throughout his political career that he was in China during the protests, but reports from Minnesota Public Radio revealed that Walz did not leave for China until August. The protests began in the spring of 1989 and ended in early June.
When one of the debate moderators asked him to explain his statement, Walz dodged it and began reminding the audience where he was from.
Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is trying to explain his claim that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests.
“I grew up in a small rural area of Nebraska, a town of 400 people, a town where you rode with your friends until the streets appeared and I’m proud of that service…” he began before describing his service in the Guard National. .
“I’ve poured my heart out into my community, I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I haven’t been perfect and I’ve been a fool at times, but that’s what it’s always been about,” he continued.
He continued to remind viewers that he was elected to Congress despite his mistakes and was ultimately elected governor of Minnesota.
“A lot of times I talk a lot, I get caught up in the rhetoric, but being there, the impact it had, the difference it made in my life, I learned a lot about China,” Walz continued.
When pressed on the response by CBS News debate moderator Margaret Brennan, Walz said he couldn’t explain his comment, but that he was in China in the summer of 1989 and “misspoke.”
In this file photo from June 5, 1989, a Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing’s Changan Boulevard. in Tiananmen Square.
“So I was in Hong Kong, in China, during the democracy protests,” he said. “And from there I learned a lot of what is needed in governance.”
Walz repeatedly claimed that he was in China during the Tiananmen Square protests, including in June 2019.
“I was in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989, when, of course, Tiananmen Square happened,” Walz said.
He made a similar claim during a congressional hearing in 2009 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests.
“Twenty years ago today, I was in Hong Kong preparing to go to Foshan to teach at Foshan No. 1 Middle School,” he said on June 4, 2009.