Former Democrat vice-presidential nominee and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is facing heat after a tense exchange on CNN where he appeared to dodge responsibility for the party’s disastrous decision to back Joe Biden for re-election in 2024. With the dust still settling from a historic loss to President Donald Trump, Walz was pressed on whether Democrats made a critical error in supporting Biden despite widespread concerns about his mental fitness and ability to lead.
During the interview, host Jake Tapper didn’t hold back. “Don’t you think your party needs to acknowledge that President Biden was not up for the job of running for re-election and that this was a major mistake?” Tapper asked.
Walz’s response? “He made that decision!” he snapped, pushing the blame squarely onto Biden himself. But Tapper wasn’t buying it, pointing out that the Democratic Party leadership had unanimously rallied behind Biden for most of the cycle. Cornered, Walz conceded, “Look, history will tell us to go back on that. That very well could be the case.”
The Biden campaign began to unravel after a disastrous debate performance in June 2024, where the President’s cognitive decline was on full display. The fallout was swift. Under mounting pressure from within the party, Biden eventually bowed out, and Kamala Harris stepped up as the nominee, choosing Walz as her running mate. But the damage was already done. The Harris-Walz ticket went on to lose every battleground state to Trump in a blowout election that saw Republicans make gains across the board.
Now, in the aftermath, Walz is attempting to reposition himself as a voice of reflection—though many see it as too little, too late. He admitted the party may have mishandled its messaging, particularly around polarizing issues like DEI initiatives and immigration. “What I’m concerned about is learning from those lessons,” he said. “I would hope we would never do it again, make a mistake.”
But critics argue the real mistake was letting party elites and media allies prop up Biden long past the point where it was clear he couldn’t lead. The failure to act decisively not only handed Trump a second term but also shattered what was left of the Democratic Party’s credibility with swing voters and working-class Americans.
Walz’s comments, while acknowledging missteps, stopped short of taking personal accountability or directly criticizing party leadership. For many voters and political observers, it’s emblematic of the Democrats’ broader problem—an unwillingness to confront their own failures, even when the evidence is undeniable.
Tapper: Don’t you think your party needs to take responsibility for running Biden when he was clearly not up for the job?
Walz: We may have made a “mistake,” but let me tell you about Trump. pic.twitter.com/cShWilmbV8
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) April 6, 2025
As the GOP charts a bold course under Trump’s leadership, Democrats are left picking up the pieces and wondering how their party got it so wrong—and who, if anyone, will take responsibility.