The View star Alyssa Farah Griffin criticizes Kamala Harris’ VP pick Tim Walz

Griffin appeared to show support instead for Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro

Tom Murray
Los Angeles
Wednesday 07 August 2024 01:13 BST
Comments
Tim Walz hits JD Vance over couch scandal in debut speech as he joins Democratic ticket

Support truly
independent journalism

Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.

Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.

Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.

Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

Editor

The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin has criticized Kamala Harris’s choice of running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

On Tuesday (August 6), Vice President Harris, 59, announced that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, 60, would join her on the Democratic ticket.

Walz beat out a crowded field of rivals to be the Democratic pick for VP, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

“An extraordinary missed opportunity,” Griffin, 35, who has previously praised Governor Shapiro, wrote on X/Twitter.

In a since-deleted tweet, Griffin also suggested that Walz’s left-wing politics would be “radioactive with swing voters.”

She went on to list Walz’s pros and cons. Under “pros” she wrote: “Strong midwestern messenger; executive experience as a governor; likely an effective surrogate in critical swing states of MI & WI; flipped a swing seat in Congress.”

Under “cons” she wrote: “Seen as very progressive on guns & Gaza; not viewed as a moderating force on the ticket.”

Harris and Walz made their debut as running mates on Tuesday, kicking off a campaign against Republican nominees Donald Trump and JD Vance in front of an electrified crowd in Philadelphia.

Harris told the estimated 12,000 people in attendance that she had “set out to find a partner who can build this brighter future” during her weeks-old campaign for the presidency.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

She added that her search for a running-mate led her to look for a “leader who can unite this nation and move us forward,” someone who was “a fighter for the middle class” and “a patriot who believes as I do the extraordinary promise of America, a promise of freedom, opportunity and justice not just for some but for all.”

(From left) Kamala Harris, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Tim Walz
(From left) Kamala Harris, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Tim Walz (Getty Images)

Walz is a former high school teacher who enlisted in the US Army National Guard at 17 years old and served for 24 years, then spent more than two decades teaching and coaching football before entering politics.

Meanwhile, Griffin describes herself as a “Republican in exile.” After several years of working in various roles within the Trump administration, she assumed the role of the White House spokesperson and assistant to the president in April 2020. Eight months later, she resigned from the role before joining The View permanently in 2022.

Days after Biden abandoned his re-election campaign and endorsed Harris, Griffin praised the VP’s campaign, saying: “I am blown away by her digital operation.

“[She] had 24 hours to stand this up. She is all over TikTok, she has turned things that seem cringy into making her seem cool. This feels Obama-level energy and Trump world is not ready for it.”

Griffin has previously argued that Trump is “not as sharp as he was in 2016.” “[He’s] not even as sharp as he was in 2020,” she said in March. “For some reason, that doesn’t necessarily come across to voters the same way.”

Back in 2020, when Griffin announced she was departing Trump’s administration, she called the role an “honor of a lifetime.”

She said that she was “deeply proud of the incredible things we were able to accomplish to make our country stronger, safer, and more secure.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in