Walz dodges question on who leads the Democratic Party, says 'voting public' in charge now
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appeared to struggle Wednesday when asked who the leader of his party is now.
When discussing President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress, CNN host Kasie Hunt asked the former 2024 vice presidential candidate about the state of the Democratic Party.
"Who do you think the leader of the Democratic Party is right now?" "The Arena" host asked.
"I think the voting public right now is what I would say," Walz replied with a small laugh. "And I keep telling that. We‘re not going to have a charismatic leader ride in here and save us from this."
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He added, "I would argue that the Tea Party, as it arose out of the ACA, well, where was that charismatic leader? It was John Boehner and Mitch McConnell and a whole bunch of angry folks at town halls that had members of Congress like myself answering questions.
"So when people are looking around, ‘where‘s the leaders or whatever,’ they are going to organically step up. And what I said, our job is, [as] people who do have power to enact things, we damn sure better be doing it, and we better be out there standing alongside them. That‘s what we need to do."
This interview came after Walz hinted at mounting a 2028 presidential run in The New Yorker on Sunday.
"Well, I had a friend tell me, ‘Never turn down a job you haven’t been offered,’" Walz said when asked if he would run for president.
"If I think I could offer something ... I would certainly consider that," he said. "I’m also, though, not arrogant enough to believe there’s a lot of people that can do this."
He said that under the correct circumstances and if he has the right "skill set" for the 2028 race, "I’ll do it."
"You might do it?" The New Yorker asked.
"I’ll do whatever it takes," Walz said. "I certainly wouldn’t be arrogant enough to think that it needs to be me."
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In the wake of the 2024 presidential election, Democrats have struggled to define the party and a path forward to take on Trump and the Republican Party in 2026 and 2028. However, some leaders within the party have blamed "messaging" for their losses.
"The policies that we support and the message that we have is not wrong," new DNC chair Ken Martin told the New York Times in February. "It is a messaging problem and a brand problem. Those voters are not connecting our policies with their lives."