Tim Walz’s family shares image supporting Trump for president
Eight relatives of Democratic vice presidential candidate pose in T-shirts backing Republican after brother addresses critical Facebook posts
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Members of Tim Walz’s extended family have shared a photo wearing T-shirts in support of former president Donald Trump.
The image of the eight relatives shows them wearing grammatically incorrect “Walz’s for Trump” shirts, and standing in front of a “Trump 2024” flag that also reads: “Take America back.”
The image was shared by a family friend and posted on X by Charles Herbster, a former Republican candidate for governor in Nebraska, where the Democratic vice presidential nominee grew up.
“Tim Walz’s family back in Nebraska wants you to know something,” Herbster wrote on X.
Trump also shared it on his Truth Social profile.
A spokesperson for Herbster told Newsweek that the people in the image are related to Walz via his great-uncle - his grandfather’s brother. The family reportedly permitted Herbster to share it online.
The photo comes after Walz’s brother, Florida resident Jeff Walz, told NewsNation that he doesn’t plan on making any political endorsement after his Facebook posts critical of Kamala Harris’s running mate came to light.
On Facebook, Jeff Walz wrote that his brother was “not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.”
He added that he “thought long and hard” about publicly backing Trump but told NewsNation that he doesn’t want to be engaged politically.
“It wasn’t my intent, it wasn’t our intent as a family, to put something out there to influence the general public,” he said.
“I was getting a lot of feedback from my friends, old acquaintances, thinking that I was feeling the same way that my brother did on the issues, and I was trying to clarify that just to friends,” Jeff Walz added. “I used Facebook, which wasn’t the right platform to do that. But I will say, I don’t agree with his policies.”
The Facebook posts were initially seen by the New York Post.
Even so, Trump appeared to think that Jeff Walz had endorsed him, writing on Truth Social: “Thank you very much, Jeff. It is a Great Honor to have your Endorsement. I look forward to meeting you soon!”
Jeff Walz, who is not in the new group picture, said on Facebook that there were “stories” he could tell about why he wouldn’t want his brother in charge.
“Nobody wanted to sit with him, because he had car sickness and would always throw up on us, that sort of thing,” Jeff Walz told NewsNation. “There’s really nothing else hidden behind there. People are assuming something else. There’s other stories like that, but I think that probably gives you the gist of it.”
The Independent has contacted the Harris campaign and attempted to reach Herbster for comment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments