Alyssa Farah Griffin of “The View” put Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz on the spot over his past claims of being in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Walz has repeatedly stated he was in Hong Kong at the time of the pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing, which resulted in hundreds of deaths.
Griffin pressed Walz to clarify his statements and addressed voter concerns about trust issues in today’s political climate.
“I want to ask about a number of misstatements you’ve made about your previous military record and travels you’ve been in,” she started.
The former Trump administration aide prefaced by saying that “nobody lies” as much as her former boss, and downplayed Walz’s misleading statements as not “on the same level” at the Republican nominee.
“But in an era where there’s so much mistruth in our politics, so many lies, can’t there be no gray area, and how would you convey to voters that they may be concerned there’s a trust issue?” she asked.
Walz acknowledged the importance of “careful” communication, admitting that he might have misspoken about his whereabouts in 1989.
“I think people do separate that between a pathological liar like Donald Trump,” he claimed.
“They get it out there. But I do think it’s important that we’re careful about how we speak,” Walz explained.
“Something for me is, I think being a teacher, being a coach, I just speak from my heart. I speak honestly, I speak in the moment.
“But I think the public sees this, just the massive amount of misinformation that gets poured out there, and it is important to be detailed,” he acknowledged. “My tendency is to just answer the question that you’re asked as quickly as you can.”
In that same episode, Whoopi Goldberg suggested billionaire Elon Musk might be illegally attempting to influence the election.
Musk announced at an event that he’d donate $1 million daily until Election Day to random signers of the America PAC petition, supporting the First and Second Amendments.
Whoopi dabbles in election denialism by baselessly accusing @ElonMusk of “trying to buy the election.”
She accuses him of committing a crime, falsely suggesting he’s paying for votes: “I thought that was against the law, but apparently they’ve found some new loop stuff!” pic.twitter.com/PtyHHL1E6N— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) October 21, 2024
He noted that the initiative was meant to spread awareness since traditional media wasn’t covering it.
Goldberg accused Musk of trying to “buy the election,” noting that he was offering a huge cash prize to those who signed the super PAC’s petition.
“Now I thought that was against the law, but apparently this, they found some new loop stuff that allowed this to go on,” she stated. “I thought you couldn’t do this.”
Walz alleged that Musk’s financial offer stemmed from Trump’s lack of plans for the nation once elected.
“When you have no plan for the public, when you have no economic plan that’s going to benefit the middle class, when you have no plan to protect reproductive rights, when you have no plan to address climate change and produce American energy, you go to these type of tactics,” he said.
Walz called the giveaway a “distraction,” and Goldberg argued that it was “against the law.”
From Tuesday to November 5, a person from battleground states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, or North Carolina will win $1 million daily.
Additionally, America PAC offers $47 to those who refer a registered swing-state voter to sign the petition, with a special $100 incentive for signers from Pennsylvania and their referees.
Meanwhile, actor Jason Bateman told Walz he ditched his Tesla because Musk, who is the CEO, backs Trump.
JASON BATEMAN: “I don’t want to throw undue shade towards @elonmusk, but…”
TAMPON TIM: “I do.”
BATEMAN: “I got rid of my Tesla. I feel like I’m driving around [with] a Trump sticker.”
These people are unhinged. pic.twitter.com/zbhKtN7QEj
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 16, 2024
Talking to Minnesota’s governor on his Smartless podcast, Bateman said he was satisfied with the variety of electric vehicles available now, allowing him to move on from Tesla.
“I’m so excited that every single car brand now has a fully electric car and I don’t want to throw undue shade towards Mr. Musk,” he commented.
“But his politics is… I got rid of my Tesla,” Bateman added. “I feel like I’m driving around [with] a Trump sticker.”
During his appearance on “The View,” Walz couldn’t identify any policy differences between his running mate and President Joe Biden when asked by co-host Sara Haines.
Gov. Walz: “We’re putting meals in our schools and trying to get guns out of them.” pic.twitter.com/IOoZ60Zm9i
— CAP Action (@CAPAction) October 21, 2024
“Well, I think she’s, this expansion on Medicare is something that I wish would have been proposed sooner,” he answered. “But look, they’re tackling the issues that they needed to do.”
Walz blamed former President Trump for the pandemic’s impact, asserting that he left a mess for Biden and Harris.
“There were other issues that were being dealt with,” he said. “And she’s her own leader. She’s got her own path, a new way forward, and I think she sees in Minnesota that we have similar values.”
“Whether it’s providing kids with meals at school, we’re putting meals in our schools and trying to get guns out of them, that seems like a good thing,” Walz concluded.