The Harris-Walz campaign scrambled on Sunday to respond to claims that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz purposely ignored a shouted questions about the latest hostages killed by Hamas while he campaigned at the Minnesota State Fair.

The down-home Democrat wore a baseball cap and rumpled t-shirt as he ambled through a crowded scene and toward a row of cameras. “For those not from Minnesota – uh, just to be clear, there’s a lot of great state fairs in the country. This is the best one,” he claimed while wielding a vanilla milkshake. The vice presidential nominee began taking innocuous questions on the fair itself and balancing gubernatorial duties with national campaigning before appearing to ignore a notably audible question. “What’s your reaction to the six hostages being found dead in Gaza?” asks a female reporter. Gov. Walz appears to look at an aide before nodding his head and waving away the scrum. “Alright, thanks everybody!” he yells before walking off.

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The awkward clip quickly gained traction online where observers expressed doubt that Walz didn’t hear the question, a claim made by his campaign after aides posted a statement mourning the hostages. “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization — and we condemn their continued atrocities against both Americans and Israelis in the strongest possible terms,” he wrote on X.

 

Among those who perished was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the six found dead in an underground network of tunnels as Israeli forces ferreted out Hamas soldiers who remain in the fight. President Joe Biden on Monday returned to the Situation Room after being put on blast for spending Labor Day weekend at the beach. Walz’s misstep added fuel to the fire, with some claiming he only put out a statement after being caught dismissing concerns for casualties. “You wouldn’t have said anything if this wasn’t caught on tape,” one viewer on X replied. Another called the governor a “coward” to refusing the answer the question, Fox News reported.

The roasts grew worse down the thread. “Maybe one day you will build up the nerve to talk about this in person,” another wrote. Walz, who celebrated the state fair by dining on a pork chop on a stick, was mocked for that too. “You pork chop on a stick loser…Harris caused this…be better,” a critic added. Red State columnist Buzz Patterson doubted that Gov. Walz has ever had to console a grieving parent. “You wouldn’t know that anguish. Have you ever knocked on a door to inform someone that their loved one is never coming home? I have. Your “condolences” will never be enough. You’re a coward.”

 

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