Social media treated Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz to severely harsh remarks and lampooning after his speech in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz addresses the crowd in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon, September 21, 2024.(X/Twitter)
The Minnesota Governor had previously found himself pilloried by conservative politicians and supporters soon after Kamala Harris announced him as her running mate. The online mockery earned him the nickname “Tampon Tim,” which the Democratic side soon embraced owing to its contextual foundation. However, the Saturday event once again saw the Internet fiercely ridicule the politician for a gaffe he let slip.
What did Tim Walz say at the Pennsylvania rally on Saturday?
Walz initially discussed gun violence and focussed on targetting former President Donald Trump and his VP pick, JD Vance, while also firing back at Project 2025, which the Republican presidential hopeful’s campaign has washed its hands of.
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Also read | Laura Loomer gets her hands on ABC whistleblower’s complaint alleging network colluded with Harris for Sept 10 debate
His subsequent ambiguous declaration, “We can’t afford four more years of this,” had many quipping that he was campaigning for Trump now. Following a brief distraction and pointing at a rallygoer in the crowd who needed attention, the governor said, “I’ll bring her home here quick, folks: Look, Kamala Harris made it clear these guys want to instil fear.”
“They want to tell you that [you should] just get over it, it’s a fact of life. This is the way it is,” Walz added, as Fox News reported.
He then continued, “[Harris] simply has said it doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can’t afford four more years of this.”
Despite Walz speaking of school shootings and gun violence while alluding to Trump’s stance on gun rights, his confusing slip-up gave conservatives enough fodder to take aim at him.
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“WALZ FINALLY TELLS THE TRUTH: ‘We can’t afford four more years’ of Kamala Harris,” Trump War Room, a social media account handled by Trump’s campaign taunted.
Sky News host and political commentator Rita Panahi wrote on X, “Dude is campaigning for Trump now?”
Also read |Trump says women would ‘no longer’ think about abortion if he wins, ‘Their lives will be happy’
The former President’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also joked, “I’m with Him/Tim.” He also pinned the post at the top of his X feed.
Former governor Scott Walker also responded to Walz’s video from the event with a simple “True”.
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Donald Trump and gun rights
As for Trump’s take on firearm possession, the ex-president firmly asserted that he would “defend the Second Amendment” and oppose firearm limits if elected for another term in November despite narrowly escaping an assassination attempt in July.
“We’ll see a continuation of supporting and defending the Second Amendment, and really where that comes into play is, you know, the judiciary,” Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign said at an event hosted by guns rights group the US Concealed Carry Association at the Republican National Convention.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
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“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
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However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
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