President Trump said Tuesday that he won’t call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after the targeted shootings of two state lawmakers because it would “waste time.”
One of the lawmakers and her husband were killed.
The president spoke to reporters early Tuesday aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after abruptly leaving the G7 summit in Canada. The White House said the president wants to better monitor the rising tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. Asked if he planned to call Walz, Trump said the Democratic governor is “slick” and “whacked out” and said, “I’m not calling him.”
Presidents often reach out to other elected officials at times of tragedy to offer condolences.
Trump added, “The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”
“Governor Walz wishes that President Trump would be a president for all Americans, but this tragedy isn’t about Trump or Walz,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “It’s about the Hortman family, the Hoffman family, and the State of Minnesota, and the Governor remains focused on helping all three heal.”
A source close to the governor’s office told CBS News Minnesota that Walz spoke with Vice President JD Vance on Saturday about the shootings.
“The governor expressed appreciation for the ongoing coordination between federal law enforcement and Minnesota public safety officials,” the source said.
Walz was the vice presidential running mate for 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who lost her presidential bid to Trump. During the campaign, Walz often branded Trump and other Republican politicians as “just weird.”
Vance Boelter, 57, faces federal and state charges in the killings of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Boelter was captured after a massive, multi-agency manhunt. Authorities say he planned to target other lawmakers and even visited others’ homes the night of the shootings.
Boelter has not yet entered a plea.
