He lied.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz acknowledged on Tuesday night that he had previously made an inaccurate claim regarding his presence in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The Minnesota governor clarified that while he was indeed in Hong Kong in the summer of 1989, he was not there during the June events when the Chinese military violently suppressed pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing.
Walz’s admission came after media reports challenged his earlier assertion that he was in Hong Kong while the protests unfolded. During a debate with Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, Walz described the inaccuracies as unintentional mistakes rather than deliberate fabrications. “I’ve not been perfect,” he admitted, acknowledging that he sometimes gets caught up in rhetoric. This misstatement could be a potential vulnerability for Walz, especially as Vice President Kamala Harris has emphasized the importance of honesty in her campaign against former President Donald Trump.
In the debate, Walz attempted to steer the conversation towards his experience as a teacher who took students to China to learn about different cultures. He first traveled to China in 1989, beginning in Hong Kong before spending a year teaching English and American history in Foshan through Harvard’s WorldTeach program. Previously, Walz had claimed on a podcast that he was in Hong Kong on the day of the Tiananmen incident, expressing how the violence motivated him to continue his teaching program, despite discussions among peers about withdrawing.
The timing of Walz’s trip was brought into question by Minnesota Public Radio, which cited an article indicating he left for China in August 1989. The Harris-Walz campaign acknowledged Walz’s misstatement but did not elaborate on the reasons for it. They also noted that Walz’s actual number of trips to China might be closer to 15 rather than the 30 he had previously suggested. According to sources familiar with his comments, Walz aimed to emphasize the importance of teaching American democracy and history to Chinese students.
Walz has been an outspoken critic of China’s human rights practices and trade policies, advocating for a nuanced relationship with the country. Despite this, Republicans have scrutinized his past experiences in China, with Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., recently subpoenaing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for information regarding Walz’s “connections with the CCP.” Meanwhile, the Trump campaign accused Walz of being “cozy with China” due to his reported number of visits. In the backdrop of these accusations, Vance challenged Walz on other inaccurate claims, including comments about his family’s fertility treatments. A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign stated that Walz’s remarks were meant as shorthand for assisted reproductive technologies.
