Tim Walz accepts Democratic vice presidential nomination with a personal, yet controversial, speech

As his entire family looked on with pride, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz officially accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination in a speech that closed out the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

"It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States," Walz said. "We’re all we’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason. We love this country."

The Minnesota governor made a point of thanking Kamala Harris for choosing him as her running mate, and also thanked President Joe Biden for "four years of strong and historic leadership."

On the more political side of his short speech, Walz attempted to associate the Republican ticket, Donald Trump and JD Vance, with Project 2025, a 900-plus-page plan for a potential second term for the former president put together by a Heritage Foundation think tank and Trump allies.

"That is what this is all about. The responsibility we have to our kids, to each other, and to the future that we are building together in which everyone is free to build the kind of life they want," Walz said.

"But not everyone has that same sense of responsibility. Some folks don’t understand what it takes to be a good neighbor. Take Donald Trump and JD Vance. Their Project 2025 will make things much, much harder for people just trying to live their lives."

In turn, Walz sought to exploit his image as a former soccer coach throughout his speech, trying to demonstrate that his personal experience serves to understand his opponents' political strategies.

"They spend a lot of time pretending they know nothing about this. But look, I coached high school football long enough to know, trust me on this, when somebody takes the time to drop a playbook, they are going to use it," Walz said.

The Democratic governor and now vice presidential candidate also tried to make his speech more human and emotional than political, in stark contrast with the personal attacks seen throughout the convention.

For example, he told perhaps his most personal story, detailing what the fertility treatment he went through with his wife, Gwen, was like.

"This is personal, for Gwen and for me," the governor said, stating that infertility is like "hell."

"I can remember praying each night for a phone call, the pit in your stomach when the phone rings, and the absolute agony when we heard the treatments hadn't worked. It took Gwen and I years, but we had access to fertility treatments, and when our daughter was born, we named her Hope. Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you."

The muddy ground Walz trod

During his speech, Walz spoke on three topics that could be controversial given his background as a public servant, military man and candidate.

First, the now-Democratic vice presidential candidate touted military service, saying that "Everybody belongs and everybody has a responsibility to contribute."

"For me, it was serving in the Army National Guard. I joined up two days after my 17th birthday, and I proudly wore our nation's uniform for 24 years," Walz said.

However, the Minnesota governor has has faced heavy criticism for retiring just months before his battalion was deployed to Iraq following the Sept. 11 attacks.The Democrat had served in the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Field Artillery Battalion, 125th Field Artillery, after transferring from the Nebraska National Guard in 1996. He retired as a master sergeant nine years later, in 2005.

On another controversial point, Walz asserted that Americans have an individual duty to respect people's particular decisions, referring specifically to "reproductive rights."

In particular, he said that in Minnesota they have a good habit: "We respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make ... mind your own damn business!."

However, the Trump campaign, reacting live to the speech, recalled that, during the pandemic, the governor "set up a snitch line for Minnesotans to tattle on their neighbors if they violated his tyrannical COVID rules," a move that was harshly criticized at the time by both Republicans and local Democrats.

Likewise, Walz also claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris would cut taxes for the middle class, a measure that, so far, the Democratic candidate has not promised.

"If you’re are a middle-class family or a family trying to move into the middle class, Kamala Harris is going to cut your taxes," Walz said.

Quite to the contrary, on taxes, Kamala Harris so far only proposed raising the corporate tax rate to 28%.

Harris' tax policy contrasts with the vision of Trump, who reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and implemented other tax breaks that will expire next year during his, for now, single term in office.

In fact, on tax matters, Harris only adhered to President Biden's position of not raising taxes on those making less than $400,000 a year.

Motivational talk to close his speech

Finally, to close the third day of the DNC, Walz simulated a sort of sports harangue for Democratic voters to vote and donate to Harris' campaign.

"You might not know it, but I have not given a lot of big speeches like this. “But I have given a lot of pep talks," Walz said. "So, let me finish with this. Team, it is the fourth quarter, we are down a field goal, but we are on offense and we’ve got the ball."

Walz continued:

"We are driving down the field. And, boy, do we have the right team, Kamala Harris is tough, Kamala Harris is experienced, and Kamala Harris is ready. Our job is to get into the trenches and do the blocking and tackling. One inch at a time, one yard at a time, one phone call at a time, one door knock at a time, one $5 donation at a time."