Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he regrets spending time focusing on then-GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.
"I will kick myself that I got sucked in. I bet you I spent three or four days, maybe longer, not clowning, but just hammering them over the eating dogs and cats because it was so ridiculous," Walz, the former vice presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, said during a Wednesday podcast with Molly Jong-Fast.
"And I took that hook, line, and sinker. We were talking about immigration at a critical part of the campaign. And it was hurtful. And it pissed me off. And I was standing there to defend people. And it didn't do a damn bit of good electorally."
Trump in September during ABC's presidential debate said: "In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They're eating — they are eating the pets of the people that live there."
Walz during the vice presidential debate against J.D. Vance said he was surprised Vance decided to "create stories" about the Haitian migrants.
"The Republican governor said it's not true," Walz said at the time. "Don't do it. There are consequences for this. There are consequences ... and the consequences in Springfield were the governor had to send state law enforcement to escort kindergarteners to school."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.