Gov. Tim Walz Suggests It's Time for Democrats to 'Be a Little Meaner,' Calls Trump a 'Cruel Man'

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz shared some stark words for Democrats on Saturday, calling for his fellow party members to “be a little meaner” in the pushback against President Donald Trump.

“It’s because he is,” Walz said at the South Carolina Democratic Party Convention, addressing why he called Trump a “wannabe dictator.” Walz ran as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee with then-Presidential candidate Kamala Harris against Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in 2024. The former public school teacher was initially praised during the election for his relatability and Midwestern appeal.

“‘Oh, the Governor’s being mean,’ well, maybe it’s time for us to be a little meaner, maybe it’s time for us to be a little more fierce,” Walz said. “We have to ferociously push back on this…the thing that bothers a teacher more than anything is to watch a bully.”

When the bully is a child, you teach them why bullying is wrong, Walz explained, but when the “bully is an adult like Donald Trump, you bully… him back.”

“At heart, this is a weak, cruel man,” Walz said of Trump.

Walz’s comments come amid wider efforts among the Democratic Party to step toe-to-toe with Trump’s far-reaching and sweeping changes at the federal government, which have seen him attempt to flex his executive power in unprecedented ways.

Other efforts from the Democratic Party and beyond include work by progressives like New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who are currently holding rallies across the U.S. as part of their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, in an attempt to push back against and highlight the growing power of wealthy individuals in and around Trump’s government.

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Meanwhile, leaders like Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy are looking for ways to rebuild the Democratic Party, leaning further into economic populism in order to win elections, especially after the economy loomed so large during the 2024 campaigns. As the left is rocked by just the first few months of Trump’s second term at the White House, Democratic leaders seem eager to embrace new ideas in the hope they can rebound in 2026 and—eventually—2028.