President Donald Trump said he would not “waste time” calling Gov. Tim Walz after the weekend shootings.
President Donald Trump said he would not “waste time” calling Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after a shooter attacked two Democratic state lawmakers — killing one — over the weekend.
“I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out, I’m not calling him. Why would I call him?” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back from the G7 summit on Tuesday.
“He’s a mess. So I could be nice and call, but why waste time?” the president added.
On Saturday, former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed in what Walz called a “politically-motivated assassination,” while state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were seriously injured by the same shooter.
Authorities arrested Vance Boelter on Sunday after a two-day manhunt. The 57-year-old has been charged with six counts in total for murder, stalking and firearms offenses, according to court documents.
“Gov. Walz wishes that President Trump would be a president for all Americans, but this tragedy isn’t about Trump or Walz,” Teddy Tschann, a spokesperson for Walz, a Democrat who was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election, said in a statement. “It’s about the Hortman family, the Hoffman family, and the State of Minnesota, and the governor remains focused on helping all three heal.”
A person close to the governor — who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations — said that Walz spoke with Vice President JD Vance over the weekend about the attacks. Walz expressed appreciation for the ongoing coordination between federal law enforcement and Minnesota public safety officials, the person said.
Walz also spoke with former President Joe Biden, the person said, who called within hours of the news to offer his condolences and discuss the legacy of Hortman.
Walz has been a sharp critic of Trump since starting his second term. But historically, presidents have offered support to state and local leaders in the wake of violent tragedies, regardless of party affiliation.
Following the 2011 shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), then-President Barack Obama offered Republican Gov. Jan Brewer “the full resources of the federal government.” When a shooter attempted to assassinate then-candidate Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, Biden called Trump to check on his condition. And Trump himself called Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, about a week after an arson attack on the governor’s mansion earlier this year.
In the wake of Saturday’s violence, the entirety of Minnesota’s congressional delegation, including Democratic Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar and House GOP Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, issued a joint statement condemning the attack.
“Today we speak with one voice to express our outrage, grief and condemnation of this horrible attack on public servants. There is no place in our democracy for politically-motivated violence,” they said.
