During the first and only vice presidential debate of this election cycle on Tuesday evening, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz acknowledged that he had “misspoken” regarding his presence in China during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
Walz has consistently claimed he was in China for the protests while working as a high school teacher in Foshan. Most recently, in February, he mentioned on the podcast “Pod Save America” that he was in Hong Kong during the protests, stating that he was there on June 4 when the events occurred and noting that many of his colleagues chose not to go in.
Tiananmen Square Protests
However, it appears Walz did not actually travel to the region until August 1989, based on local newspaper clippings obtained by ABC News. The pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which led to a severe government crackdown, occurred from April 15 to June 4 that year, ending about two months before Walz arrived in the country.
When asked to clarify news reports that contradict his claims, Walz admitted to having “misspoken” previously but reiterated that he had been in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protest.
Tim Walz defends his character
While avoiding questions about the accuracy of his travel timeline, Walz defended his character by acknowledging his tendency to make gaffes, admitting that he has “not been perfect” and can be a “knucklehead at times.”
This incident is another example of Walz seemingly misspeaking about his past. The Democratic vice presidential candidate has faced criticism over his military record, with detractors questioning his characterization of his experience and highlighting his failure to correct inaccuracies. Alongside his claims about retiring at a rank he did not achieve, the Harris-Walz campaign conceded that he misspoke in 2018 when he stated that he carried weapons of war “in war.”
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