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Shapiro at Tim Walz Amsterdam

Greg Shapiro on Tim Walz in Amsterdam: “Walz for President -?”

Seen at John Adams Institute event 18 February, 2025

What the hell was Minnesota governor Tim Walz doing in Amsterdam at Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in February?
Well, apparently it was a trade mission that had been scheduled over a year ago. Since then, Walz became Kamala Harris’ running mate, and they lost. So now we ended up with a Vice President like JD Vance basically declaring war on Europe last Friday.

Tim Walz on JD Vance: “It’s an awkward position. Normally, I’d be overseas supporting my nation’s leadership. But.. boy, you said John Adams Institute is here to ‘promote bright minds from the US?’ Right now it feels like a pretty thin bench.” (…Big laughs!)

(This audience was largely populated by members of Democrats Abroad – unlike his Monday night event, where he was reportedly much more reserved.)

Walz added:  “Now when I visit the Anne Frank House, it feels less like a historical experience – more like a cautionary experience.” And Walz deftly pivoted back to trade: “If you don’t like where Trump is headed, make more business deals with Democrat governors. It really hits him where it hurts.”

What would Tim Walz do differently?

PART ONE of the interview was Laila Frank on US POLITICS. Her first question: “Why did you lose?”
Walz gave three reasons:

1. It was too quick / he was too green. “I should NOT have taken the bait to talk about dogs & cats & immigration.”
2. ‘Balkanization of media’ + dominance of right-wing media. “But that’s my job as a teacher, I didn’t do a good enough job explaining.” (This includes the people onstage. Though Walz has explained his name is pronounced like the plural of Wall, everyone called him Waltz.) (Also, when Laila Frank mentioned Tim Walz to her Democrat friends in Philadelphia, their first response was “Who’s that again?”)
3. Yes, the economy. Too many people have been hurting for too long, and the Democrats have been too timid. “I don’t understand this tendency to portion out your power. Burn through it all as soon as you can! Show people you’ll do anything to improve their lives.” Example: Obamacare. “Yes, Obamacare was better, but it’s nowhere near good enough. We need Universal Health Care. Say it!”

Q: “It’s been a month of Trump in power. Where are the Democrats?”
Walz: “Amsterdam.” (Huge laugh)
Walz said he’d just met with some Dutch members of Parliament earlier. He envies the idea of a Shadow Government: “Every time a plane crashes, I want to see a press conference with Pete Buttigieg saying ‘Here’s what they’re doing wrong. Here’s how we’d be better.’ The Republicans: they tell you ‘government doesn’t work,’ then they get into power and prove it.”

Q: “Is there a crisis of masculinity in America? What should Democrats do?”

Walz: “Provide for them. Too many men feel left behind.  But also provide for women. There’s a reason the Republicans called me ‘Tampon Tim’ – for providing menstrual products for women and girls in our schools. We are the ones providing for women. …Plus, every time I’d go on a Congressional hunting trip, I could shoot better than any of them.” Hence: Use their weakness against them. “Then again, I was just giving some advice to my son – he’s now 18. And he replied ‘…says the man who lost to Donald Trump.’ So, yeah that’s fair.”

Is Walz campaigning for something?

PART TWO was Anne van Zoest on FOREIGN POLICY. First question: “What if US drops out of NATO?”
Walz: “I hate to sound like Trump, but you might want to step up your military spending. Because the rate we’re going those aircraft carriers might not be there.”

Q: “What does a new world order look like without the USA there?”
“They’re exporting oligarchy. (hey, at least people know now what that means.) It’s not very popular.”
Walz on the EU Paris Summit: he said he was shocked that EU leaders weren’t more decisive on Ukraine. “We need action. Look at Canada. When Trump threatened tariffs, they pulled Kentucky whisky off their shelves. To punish red states specifically. It worked.”

Q: “What will the Middle East look like?”
Walz: “I continue to believe in a 2-state solution. But now that Trump announced his plans to turn Gaza into ‘Trump Plaza,’ I’d expect more outrage. But there’s been silence in the Arab world. And the EU for that matter. Maybe I’m stuck in the past. I really don’t know.”

Q: “Governor Walz or Senator Walz?”
Walz: “If I could help form a more united front in DC, I could see that. But for now – as Governor, I can be more consequential in one day than I was for 12 years in Congress. Yes, there will be midterm elections, and my expectation is most folks will realize Trump and the Republicans do NOT have their backs. But even this coming November, look at the governor’s race in Virginia. That will tell you a lot.”

Meanwhile, Laila Frank reports that Walz was heard backstage saying, “I’ve been tryout out that line.” Is that what you say on a trade mission? Or more like what you say when you’re campaigning?

TIM WALZ for President 2028.

John Adams Institute website:

https://www.john-adams.nl/tim-walz/

Greg Shapiro on Tim Walz as VP candidate 2024:
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/shapiro-improv-tim-walz/