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From an auditorium stage at a Des Moines high school on Friday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz fielded mostly friendly questions from a Democratic-heavy crowd that allowed him to swat at actions taken by President Donald Trump.

Walz made the Iowa visit the first on a multistate swing through Republican-held congressional districts. He intends to use the sessions to highlight the risks of federal agency cuts, mass layoffs and trade tariffs roiling relationships with longtime allies.

He said he is holding public events in places where the incumbent House members have been reluctant to do town halls, which have quickly become venting spots for people upset with the swift Trump remake of the federal government.

Over the course of an hour, Walz served up ample criticism of Trump and acknowledged the frustration of those opposed to the changes.

“I would argue that Democratic officials should hear the primal scream that’s coming from America,” Walz said, capturing the sentiment as, “Do something, damn it! This is wrong!”

Walz also had plenty to say about Trump adviser, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk who has been overseeing the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.

“There’s nothing conservative about an unelected South African nepo baby firing people at the VA,” Walz said to laughter.

The event was sponsored by the Iowa Democratic Party, whose chair joined Walz on stage at Roosevelt High School, a 102-year-old ornate brick building on the western edge of the most populous city in the state. Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz sat in the front row.

The more than 1,000 in attendance cheered his responses to questions that were effectively political softballs for a Democratic leader looking to tee off on the other party.

A high school student asked Walz what defunding the Department of Education would do for his ability to get a student loan or a Pell Grant. One woman shared how Medicaid allowed her to focus on her son and not the “$1.7 million medical bill we had.” 

She asked Walz, “What will happen to all these kids and people if Medicaid gets cut?” 

Walz recalled his vice presidential debate with current Vice President JD Vance.

He said Vance “was mentioning, well, it’s just not fair that young and healthy people have to pay these rates into insurance for people who are sick,” Walz paraphrased. “The whole purpose of insurance is to spread the risk amongst all of us so that when you need it.”

His venture into other states has attracted criticism from Republicans back home. U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, the third-ranking Republican in the House, took a shot at Walz as he was wrapping up the Iowa event.

“Tim Walz is focused solely on his own political ambitions, NOT the people of Minnesota,” Emmer

. “The only message he has to bring on the road with him is one of incompetence and failure.”

Walz has kept open the possibility he’ll hold town hall-style events in GOP districts back in Minnesota. Before becoming governor in 2018, Walz represented a southern Minnesota district in the U.S. House for six terms; the district is now represented by Republican Rep. Brad Finstad.

Walz hasn’t ruled out another run for governor next year or a potential campaign for president in 2028. His itinerary lately has included trips to Montana, Texas and other states for political events and interviews with national media.

In an interview with MPR News ahead of the Iowa forum, Walz said he wants his party to be more forceful in staking out differences with the Republican-led federal government.

“We elected officials and we as Democrats as a whole, need to tell people why we’re on their side, because they obviously didn’t believe it,” Walz said. “If they did, we wouldn’t have been in the mess we’re in. I think now they’re going to find out Donald Trump isn’t on their side.”

At an event in Omaha on Saturday, Walz was asked what people can do to push back on President Trump’s executive order that excludes trans people from many aspects of public life.

“Stand on your principles,” he said. “Make sure the community looks you in the eyes and knows that you stand with them. Because what we get in trouble with as Democrats. We get in a squishy place in the middle and people say they’re both the same. What difference does it make?”

The governor makes a similar stop in Wisconsin on Tuesday.

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Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, held forums in Iowa and Nebraska. He is using them to dissect Trump administration actions and perhaps boost his own standing in the soul-searching Democratic Party.

Walz hits road to rip Trump policies as he works to keep his own national profile up

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