Daniella Gibbs Léger: Hey everyone. Welcome back to “The Tent,” your place for politics, policy, and progress. I’m Daniella Gibbs Léger. Today, I will be joined by a very special guest: Coach Walz of Minnesota. We are big fans of Gov. [Tim] Walz (D-MN) here on “The Tent,” and because there is too much happening in the world right now, we’re dedicating this special episode to our conversation with the governor.
He’s working to build a better future for the country and deliver on an agenda of positive change. Look no further than his impressive record in Minnesota as proof. We even snuck in a little time to talk some football with Coach Walz. So I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
Tim Walz is Minnesota’s 41st governor. He was first elected governor in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Before that, he served in Congress starting in 2006. He was a high school social studies teacher and a football coach. He served in the Army National Guard for 24 years.
Coach Walz, welcome to “The Tent.”
Gov. Tim Walz: Thanks for having me.
Gibbs Léger: There is so much that I want to talk with you about, and we’ll get to some of the really impressive work that you’re doing in Minnesota in a minute.
But first, on Thursday night, Israel launched a wave of attacks on Iran, raising deep concerns about the prospect of a massive regional conflict in the Middle East. You served in the Army National Guard and presumably have constituents deployed to the region—
Gibbs Léger: —at U.S. bases in the area. So I’m curious for your thoughts on this developing story less than 24 hours in, as of this recording.
Walz: Yeah, well, and I, too, have great concerns. This has all the hallmarks of spreading further. It is going to cause incredible disruptions to folks. And we’ve seen, certainly from Gaza, the situation’s already happening there, but now to the broader area and, as you said, with U.S. troops.
My bigger concern is that the lack of U.S. leadership and the lack of the ability to broker something here creates a real void. And in many of these cases, global leadership have been the ones that have been able to do it. Potentially NATO here, would be my hope, would be able to step in.
But I think we’re in a very precarious time. I think the escalation of this—we should be doing all we can to deescalate it. But at least here, early morning after, it doesn’t appear like our president is doing anything other than just saying, “Well, they should have done something different”—which is not leadership. It’s the typical disengaging and, in many cases, especially when it comes to the global issues, being on the wrong side, whether it’s being on the side of Russia or being on the side of authoritarians.
Gibbs Léger: Speaking of the armed forces, Donald Trump has been playing politics with America’s military these past few days.
Gibbs Léger: Just this week, Donald Trump has held a political rally at Fort Bragg and reverted a number of base names back to their old Confederate names; deployed nearly 5,000 U.S. troops to Los Angeles, which is double the size of the force that we currently have in Iraq and Syria combined. And this weekend, Trump will hold a military parade for his birthday, where we’ll presumably see him politicize the troops even further.
So, as I mentioned, you served in the Army National Guard. I’m curious for your thoughts on the past few days and why the military takes its nonpartisan role in American life so seriously.
Walz: Yeah, it’s foundational. And I’ll just say: Look, Donald Trump’s done an awful lot of bad things, but just candidly, from my perspective, this week has been one of the worst for me. And I say this, the standing in front of those troops at the now-renamed Fort Bragg—named after someone who was a traitor to the United States and fought against us—and to give a political speech in front of active duty troops who, the way I understood it, were picked because of their political affiliation—I served 24 years and never once was asked myself or asked anyone else or engaged in anything that was political. Because it’s of course, Hatch Act and things, it’s against the law. But it’s just foundational that a nonpartisan military is there to serve all of us.
And then of course, stepping over the governors and stepping over what should be common practice by federalizing the California National Guard? Totally unacceptable. So I think from a—and then of course we saw the situation with a U.S. senator.
This is a dangerous week. And then I don’t even want to say—the parade is simply wrong. It’s a show of weakness rather than strength. America’s never had to have these big parades. We’ve never had to blow our own horn because we had the most professional and the best fighting force.
So this is this an affront to everything. But Donald Trump’s been doing this from the beginning. He disrespects the military. He disrespects them and then hides behind it. But this one is very concerning. Very concerning week.
Gibbs Léger: So I want to talk a little bit more about what happened with Sen. [Alex] Padilla (D-CA) when he attempted to ask Secretary Kristi Noem a question and then was pushed out of the room, pushed to the ground, and shackled.
What do you make of all of this? Because to me that seems like we have definitely crossed some sort of—
Walz: We keep crossing them, and I don’t understand. And at some point, for the American people to understand this, I don’t think it takes a ton of imagination to believe this is you at some point.
The idea of disagreeing with an American president, that’s an American tradition to proudly say, “I disagree with them.” And Sen. Padilla, let’s just be very clear: That’s his job. His job is oversight. Kristi Noem does not work for Donald Trump. She works for the American people. And Kristi Noem’s agents are in Sen. Padilla’s state not at his request, not at his governor’s request, not at local law enforcement’s request. He has every right—in fact, I would argue he has a responsibility to be there.
And he showed up. He identified himself. And he was thrown to the ground and treated that way. And I think there’s a whole lot of Americans who know if they’re going to treat a U.S. senator like that, what do you think they’re going to do to you?
Gibbs Léger: Right, exactly. Another hot topic in Washington is Donald Trump’s, quote-unquote, “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which we like to call around here, “one big bad bill.”
Gibbs Léger: Can you share with our listeners the impacts it would have on ordinary Americans and your constituents in Minnesota if it’s enacted?
Walz: Yeah, catastrophic. Medicaid alone—40 percent of our children in Minnesota. We’re one of the healthiest states. We rank near the top in health care. We cover people. Even a state like Minnesota would be devastated. A large percentage of seniors, especially in rural nursing home care and long-term care, negatively impacted.
Couple that with cuts to nutrition programs, quality of life. And keep in mind, he says we don’t have money to do these things. They spent, as far as we know, nearly $150 million in Los Angeles where no one asked him or no one was needed. He’s going to spend $50 million ruining the streets here in D.C. and trying to make this a case of money. He’s doing all of this so that he can put tax cuts in for the wealthy.
So I think we have a responsibility to say—whether it’s research dollars to NIH [the National Institutes of Health], whether it’s gutting our school systems and making it more difficult, especially for children with special needs who now no longer have the Civil Rights Department to defend them at the education department. So it’s going to have catastrophic impacts.
Donald Trump’s already backtracking on some of his immigration policies. Donald Trump starts to backtrack when it becomes unpopular in the polls. I think he’s going to have very little room to backtrack as it becomes more and more unpopular. But this bill cannot pass. We need everybody to speak up, to call. And I’m really proud: In Minnesota, I’ve got Republican legislators that are telling them not to vote for this. So that’s a good sign.
Gibbs Léger: That is a really good sign. So, as governor of Minnesota, you’ve been able to accomplish an astonishing amount with razor-thin margins in the legislature. So just for our listeners, I’m going to tick off: Under your leadership, the state has protected reproductive rights and the LGBTQ community, passed a major gun reform bill, passed the child tax credit, enacted paid family and medical leave, made it easier to vote, passed the largest infrastructure bill in Minnesota’s history, and enacted free school lunches for every kid in Minnesota. And that’s just the start of it.
So what’s your secret sauce? And what can the rest of us learn from what’s happening in your state?
Walz: Well: I would say this when Democrats, and I would ask Republicans to join me, when we have an opportunity to improve people’s lives, do it. All those things you listed poll out the roof; they’re super popular. And too often, I think right now, is the public maybe doesn’t associate those things with us, or they don’t associate them getting passed and improving their lives.
And my take on this is for us to be bold on things that improve people’s lives. Donald Trump is being bold on building military parades. He’s being bold on taking away basic human rights from folks who have come here looking for a better life. He’s being bold on gutting our federal lands and protection. So I think that the secret here, and what we did in Minnesota, was if you can pass something that improves the vast majority of people’s lives, makes a difference, and makes life better for folks, you need to do it. Not tomorrow. As quickly as you can.
Gibbs Léger: So you’ve been traveling the first few months of the Trump administration, hearing from folks in red states and red districts whose representatives don’t want to listen to them. And you said you’re trying to figure out why the broad center left is losing support of the working class. So what have you learned in your travels?
Walz: Well I think it comes back to that. I don’t think people naturally identify the Democratic Party now as the party of the working class. I said, “Historians can look at this.” I don’t understand how you can vote for a billionaire who wants to give tax cuts to the wealthy while cutting your services, but they did. And I don’t blame that on them. That’s why I keep coming back to: Maybe we’re not telling the message right. Maybe we’re not getting to the right people.
I would also say, I think it’s maybe because—goes back to what I just was talking about. We have to deliver policies that make a difference. Look, President Obama got the ACA [Affordable Care Act] through—thank God—because [of] its protections for preexisting conditions. But it’s not perfect. And I understand that it’s because Republicans have obstructed, but we have to be bold. If we get the opportunity to govern again where we can move things, we need to move boldly on these. The idea that there’s not paid family medical leave across this country is just staggering to me.
Walz: Staggering. And I think if Democrats want to get back in power, start talking about these things.
Gibbs Léger: So let’s talk about that, about what Democrats you just started talking about. There’s been a lot of talk about Democrats having authentic conversations.
Gibbs Léger: We discussed this in the event earlier. And a lot of that happens on social media. So how do you think the party should respond, knowing that we’ve got some really important elections coming up?
Walz: Yeah, I am a believer that you do need to have good candidates. You need to have candidates that fit their location, whether that’s a school board or a member of Congress or mayor. Find the good candidates.
I think we need to do a job of helping work with these candidates. That doesn’t mean take away their authenticity, but show them, “How do you put a campaign together? Here’s how you get the staff.” I know a lot of states are doing that. I think Ken Martin’s going to be doing that at the DNC [Democratic National Committee] with this idea that training and recruitment and support makes a difference.
And then we need to be out there listening when folks tell us there’s a concern. And I come back to the issue that I was in D.C. to try and talk immigration with members of Congress. They didn’t really want to hear. It’s not mutually exclusive to support immigration, border control, and support basic human rights and paths to citizenship. And Democrats need to take that issue back.
Gibbs Léger: I agree wholeheartedly. I have to get a question in about football. So the NFL summer training camps start up in a few weeks. And you should just know that I’m a huge New York Giants fan.
Gibbs Léger: Yes. So I’m curious how you think the Vikings are going to do this year? And is JJ McCarthy the answer at quarterback?
Walz: I don’t want to jinx him, but yes, I was for JJ McCarthy before they drafted him. When they did draft him, I was very happy. We had a great season last year. Got some great play out of some folks. I think the draft filled some of our issues on the offensive line. And I think we’re going to be competitive. Look, we’re in a good division now.
Walz: Detroit do not play. There’s always Green Bay, unfortunately, they’re always good. And I have to tell you, while I’m a Vikings fan, I’m kind of secretly a Bears fan, too. I want to see the Bears thrive.
Gibbs Léger: Wow. That might be controversial. OK.
Walz: I want to see them thrive.
Gibbs Léger: OK. I don’t, but that’s why I’m just here.
OK. So we like to end our interviews on a positive note when we can. So what gives you hope in what can feel like a very dark moment? There are a lot of people out in the country who just don’t know how to deal with this authoritarian creep that we’re in. What’s your message to that?
Walz: Yeah, young people showing up. Showing up for peaceful events. Showing up to volunteer for things. Showing up—and I watched this, my daughter and some of her friends that age or whatever, showing up doing social service work. Trying to help those less fortunate and being more optimistic.
I feel pretty hopeful for the future. It’s the present that I’m afraid we’ve got to get through. And I think if we can get through this, we’ve got a group of folks, young folks especially, who are going to be, for lack of a better word, battle-hardened, know that there has to be a better way, and I think they’ll help us do that.
Gibbs Léger: Well, Gov. Walz, that is a great way to end this interview. Thank you so much for joining us on “The Tent” on a very busy day, busy week for you. And thank you for all that you’re doing.
Walz: Appreciate it. Thank you.
Gibbs Léger: That’s it for us today, folks. It looks like it may rain on Trump’s parade, so y’all be weather alert out there. Take care of yourselves, and we’ll talk to you next week.
“The Tent” is a podcast from the Center for American Progress Action Fund. It’s hosted by me, Daniella Gibbs Léger, and co-hosted by Colin Seeberger. Kelly McCoy is our supervising producer, Mishka Espey is our booking producer, and Muggs Leone is our digital producer. Jacob Jordan is our writer. Hai Phan, Olivia Mowry, and Toni Pandolfo are our video team.
Views express by guests of “The Tent” are their own, and interviews are not endorsements of a guest’s perspectives. You can find us on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.