Tim Walz Concedes He’s Prone To Being A ‘Train Wreck’ As He Offers A Critique Of Democrats

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz admitted he can sometimes be a “train wreck” because he speaks “from the heart.”

Walz told New York Magazine in an interview published Monday that the Democratic Party is too “timid.” The former vice presidential pick’s comments come as his party grapples with its brutal losses in the 2024 election cycle and struggles to rebuild its brand in a way that resonates with voters.

“I think we’re cautious by nature,” Walz told the outlet. “And look, I said this and I told the vice president, I said I know my strengths and weaknesses. I said about 90% of the time, I can be really good, but about 10% of the time, I can be a train wreck because I’m speaking from the heart, like a teacher sitting in a teachers lounge or a laborer sitting at the break table.”

“I thought they would choose the district attorney and the teacher over the hedge-fund manager and the billionaire,” Walz added.

The Minnesota governor also claimed the Democratic Party has not been “aspirational” enough in its approach to communicating with voters.

“I don’t — look, the folks who voted for Trump are going to vote for Trump,” Walz told the outlet. “My biggest concern are the folks who stayed home. And that goes back to this idea of what the Democratic Party is, who’s standing with us, and ‘Who do I identify more with?’ Maybe we’re not aspirational.”

“I heard this from someone who said, ‘With Democratic go-to messages, basically to Black men, these Democratic politicians led with ‘We restored felon voting rights,’ and the Black men said, ‘But we’re not felons, we’re MBAs looking for capital,’” Walz added. “The restoration of felon voting rights is important — I did that in Minnesota — but it’s not aspirational. With Donald Trump, everything’s gold plated and he’s hanging around with these stars, and I don’t know if we do enough of that.”