Nearly a week after the verbal stumbles in the only vice-presidential debate, Democrat Tim Walz took advantage of his first campaign appearance on a Sunday news program to defend himself against criticism of his stance on abortion rights and to “acknowledge” past erroneous statements.
The interview on "Fox News Sunday" reflected a broader media blitz of presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, as Democrats seek to attract public attention in the final 30 days of the campaign against Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Harris recorded an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" program that will air on Monday night. On Tuesday, she will appear on Howard Stern's satellite radio show, ABC's "The View," and "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert on CBS. Her interview on the podcast "Call Her Daddy" will be released later on Sunday. Walz will be on Jimmy Kimmel's ABC show on Monday.
The topic of the Middle East came up in Walz's interview on Fox, where host Shannon Bream pressed the Minnesota governor on whether Israel has the right to preemptively attack Iran's nuclear and oil facilities in response to Tehran's missile strikes against Israel. Walz did not fully respond to this during his debate last week with Vance, a senator from Ohio.
Walz said on Sunday that "specific operations will be addressed at that time." He added that Israel has the right to defend itself and that Harris worked with Israel last week to repel the Iranian attack. President Joe Biden said last week that he would not support an Israeli attack on sites related to Tehran's nuclear program.
Walz defended a law he signed as governor to ensure abortion protection, stating that it "puts this in the hands of the woman and her healthcare providers." He questioned Trump's statement that he would not sign a national law banning abortion.
Regarding the economy, Walz said that Harris' proposals would make life more affordable for the middle class by assisting with the construction of 3 million new homes and expanding tax credits for parents. He said that the tariffs proposed by Trump could increase costs by an estimated $4,000 per year for a typical family.
Walz also faced questions in the interview about inaccurate statements related to his military service, arrest for driving under the influence, infertility treatment for his family, and claims of having been in Hong Kong before the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
"I will admit when I speak poorly," stated Walz.