During an interview appearance on Fox News on Sunday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris‘ running mate, responded to his previous use of the word “socialism” and the subsequent criticism it drew, with his answer taking off online.
Walz previously took heat from some Republican lawmakers for a remark he made about socialism over the summer. During a “White Dudes for Harris” livestream in July, a fundraising initiative aimed at helping spark Harris support among white males, the Minnesota governor touted his “progressive values” and condemned critics who refer to them as socialism.
“Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values,” he said during the livestream. “One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”
Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, responded in August to the socialism remark and shared a compilation of various clips featuring Walz, on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote, “This is the most radical ticket in American history.”
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, host Shannon Bream asked Walz about his use of the word “socialism” during that livestream in which she cited Merriam-Webster’s definition of socialism, which the dictionary defines it as “a system of society or group living in which there is no private property,” adding that “means of production are owned and controlled by the state.”
“Did you mean to advocate for that here in the U.S.?” Bream asked.
Walz responded “no,” and explained that there are things society must do collectively.
“Republicans oftentimes talk about socialism, and what I would make the case of is we build our roads collectively together. I don’t think anybody’s arguing that you should have to build your own road from your house to your business place or whatever. So, I said this definition that the right uses about these things that we collectively do together, that look I believe in moral capitalism. I believe capitalism works and it lifts everyone up, but I also believe you have to make sure there’s things we collectively do together.”
He added: “The point being on this is trying to divide that, but you certainly can’t have capitalism that says billionaires get everything and the middle class gets nothing, and I think Kamala Harris’ point on this is lifting up the middle class.”
Newsweek has reached out to Walz’s spokesperson via email for comment.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks during a rally in York, Pennsylvania, on October 2. During an interview appearance on Fox News on Sunday, Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, responded to his previous use of the word “socialism” and the subsequent criticism it drew, with his answer taking off online.
Dominic Gwinn/Getty Images
During a campaign rally in New Hampshire last month, Harris proposed a billionaire tax if she’s elected president.
“Billionaires and big corporations must pay their fair share in taxes,” she said. “It’s just not right that those who can most afford it are often paying a lower tax rate than our teachers and our nurses and our firefighters.”
When pushed by Bream on Sunday as to whether the use of the word was a “knucklehead thing,” Walz continued to defend using the term, saying it is “what the right uses.”
“Donald Trump [the GOP nominee] says that this is a socialist or Marxist government, Kamala Harris is actually doing just the opposite of that, creating a free economy that works and people can grow into the middle class,” the governor added.
The interaction between Bream and Walz has since been posted to X by journalist Aaron Rupar, which garnered as of Sunday afternoon more than 517,000 views.
During the presidential debate between Trump and Harris in early September, the former president claimed that Harris was a “Marxist.”
“She’s a Marxist. Everybody knows she’s a Marxist. Her father is a Marxist professor in economics, and he taught her well,” he said during the debate.
Trump previously dubbed Harris “Comrade Kamala” on social media and said his opponent is “a communist” during a recent podcast interview with former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan.
Meanwhile, Walz also previously defended himself making a similar comment on MSNBC in late July, claiming socialism is a buzzword for GOP critics.
“I have to tell you, they scream socialism, we just build roads, and we build schools and we build prosperity into this,” the governor said.
