that much of an ideological choice in the end, but i wonder if you can tell me there is a big factual symbolism today? >> i think progressives saw the agenda that walz was able to move, the relationship between walz and the grassroots infrastructure and the labor infrastructure in minnesota as an example of the type of co- governing that they want to see, where the movement helps set the agenda, the messaging, that was all about being greater than fear, and saying that, you know, people who are struggling are not scapegoats, but they are our neighbors, right? all of that came up from the grassroots, and walz was really kind of the person who gave voice to what was ultimately a grassroots vision and i think that made a significant difference in what we saw, in terms of progressive enthusiasm for walz. >> we will see him on the trail. he looks pretty good today. >> i mean, they look so happy! [ laughter ] >> they look happy. it is good to be happy. look, democratic politics is tough, but it is also about the nonviolent resolution of our conflict, it is about human flourishing, in some elephants. upon it is also about crafting

other elements that should be enjoyable. heather mcgee, michelle goldberg, thank you, both. that is "all in" on this tuesday night. "all in" starts right now, with jen in for alex. hey, jen. >> i have to say, in a pretty joyful day, what is my favorite weird things from today is all of the opposition research dump that you talked about from the other side, as if tim walz, the governor of minnesota, is some sort of lefty, progressive -- i mean, he is progressive, but like he is some sort of, you know, communist lefty, it is a little crazy. >> i thought it was so funny, the first statement they put out how this whole california rest. like, no, he is literally from -- we can see on the map where he is from, he was born in nebraska, lives in minnesota. first time to san francisco was last month. it is a very strange thing. >> he loves the free milk at the minnesota state fair. anyway, great to see you, chris, thank you so much. listen, if you like me, if you eat, sleep, breathe politics like i do, today is one of those days that you just didn't want to end. it was very joyful. in the course of a presidential

campaign, you only get so many big moments. for the harris campaign, today was one of those moments, because today, vice president harris announced -- as you all know by now -- minnesota governor tim walz will be her running mate. just a couple of hours ago in philadelphia in front of a raucous crowd of more than 12,000 people, she welcomed him to the ticket and introduced him to the country. >> since the day that i announced my candidacy, i set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future. [ cheers and applause ] a leader who will help unite our nation, and move us forward. so, pennsylvania, i am here today because i found such a leader. [ cheers and applause ] governor tim walz of the great state of minnesota! >> thank you, madam vice president, for the trust you

put in me. but, maybe more so, thank you for bringing back the joy. [ cheers and applause ] so, we got 91 days. my god. that's easy. [ audience reacts ] will sleep when we're dead! [ cheers and applause ] over those next 91 days, and every day in the white house, i will have vice president harris' back. every single day. and we will have yours. >> i mean, "we will sleep when we're dead," is probably my favorite line in a speech of many good lines. but, to understand how significant what you just saw is, we have to go back in time about three weeks, because three weeks ago, kamala harris was the vice presidential running mate. three weeks ago, tim walz was the jovial governor of

minnesota who appeared on tv every now and then, but he wasn't a household name for tiktok phenom, and wasn't on anyone's short list for anything. now, here we are. and because this has all happened so fast, it also means that there is a tendency to shorthand who this guy is. i mean, he is either the progressive pick, or the safe choice, if you are talking with democrats. or, someone who who will " release hell on earth," if you are from the trump team," that is literally what the trump team blasted. now, a lot of people, though, don't know who he is, yet. they are just getting to know him. they may not have even heard of him before today. so, for the next hour, we are going to spend some time getting to know who governor tim walz is, like where he came from, what drives them, what he is actually like. and, yes, of course, what he will bring to the ticket. so, who is this guy, who made "weird" happen? who basically decided he was going to go after this job a few weeks ago, and propelled himself essentially passed many

rising stars in the democratic party? well, for 20 years, he was a high school teacher, first in alliance, nebraska, then mankato, minnesota. he was a football coach who took a high school football team from 0-27 to state champions in just three years, and he used his position as a beloved teacher and coach to advocate for change, helping to start his school's first gay- straight alliance. he is the son of an army veteran and a member of the national guard himself. in 2005, he decided to run for congress and i can tell you because i was working at the democratic national campaign committee back then that oversees all the house races. we didn't exactly think this high school teacher and football coach from rural minnesota could win a congressional seat, that had only been represented by a democrat once since the 1890s. the 1890s! but, maybe we underestimated that politics is actually about how you make people feel. that's what it's about. to give you a sense of who tim walz was, even back then, here

is a campaign at i dug up from 2006. >> the coach that could see championship three years before the big game, the teacher that inspires generations one by one, the soldier who served for two decades, and ready when they attacked. >> i'm not a politician and i never planned to run for office. i have lived my life like most people, trying to do right by my family and my neighbors. it's trying to put the people's priorities first. but to change priorities, we need to change the congress. i am tim walz, and i approve this message. >> he ended up winning that race, served six terms, one of the rare vulnerable candidates serving a red leaning district that held onto his district through the tea party rise, and he wasn't always a traditional democrat. the nra endorsed him, donated to his campaign, he was a proud, gun owning military veteran who spoke regularly about his love for hunting.

but then, in 2018, after a gunman opened fire on a florida high school, he changed his position. i'm going to tell you the whole story later in the show, because i think it tells you a whole lot about who he is. governor walz has also spoken openly about the struggle he and his wife went through with infertility and how their daughter and son were born thanks to ivf. today, he told the crowd in philadelphia that they named their daughter "hope" for a reason. when kamala harris became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic, she did it in st. paul, minnesota, with governor walz right there, by her side. and after the supreme court struck down roe v wade, tim walz was the first governor to sign a law codifying abortion- rights into law in his state. >> we are now at a signing of a landmark reproductive freedom bill, less than one month after taking our oath of office. [ applause ] so, to minnesotans, know that your access to reproductive health and your right to make your own health care decisions are preserved and protected, and because of this law, that won't

change with the political winds or the makeup of the supreme court. >> he has also made it so kids in minnesota get free lunches, because research shows time and time again, if kids aren't hungry, they learn better. he was a proud union member who signed a bill as governor on junk fees, that would allow greater disclosure of all costs. he also banned noncompete agreements in his estate, a move that the biden administration would actually take national. in congress, tim walz was the highest ranking enlisted service member ever elected, and as a ranking member on the veterans affairs committee, he pushed legislation through to help make sure there was more funding to address critical needs for america's vets. listen. the last few weeks of veepstakes has been downright joyful because all of those incredibly talented, young elected officials have come off the bench and reminded the country of just how deep do -- the democratic bench of leadership is. and maybe he had a different choice. that is okay. governor shapiro is a deeply thoughtful, uniquely talented leader, and he has been a very

effective governor in pennsylvania. senator mark kelly is a former astronaut, for goodness sake, who has done more to address gun violence than nearly any other elected official out there. secretary pete buttigieg is one of the brightest stars and most effective communicators of his generation. i could go on. the point is, they are all impressive. but, before we shorthand the vice president pick for her running mate as "safe," before we narrow him to the "progressive choice," which by the way, he can be progressive, but he is actually a lot of things. take a look at his record, what he has actually done, take a look at what he has to say and how he makes you feel. today, tim walz talked about the joy that kamala harris has brought to this campaign. and, he has plenty of his own to bring to the next 91 days. joining me now is pete

buttigieg, former mayor of south bend, indiana, and former presidential candidate. he is joining us in his presidential -- personal capacity, and not speaking on behalf of the biden administration. mayor pete, it is great to see you. thanks for joining us tonight point >> same here. thanks for having me on. great to be with you. >> let me start just by asking you what you think of the vice president pick, and what you think tim walz will bring to the ticket? >> i am really excited. like you said, she had so many great directions she could go in, and also has found an extraordinary partner who has brought that joy immediately to the campaign trail. somebody who i think sets up this ticket and this campaign even more than was already true, to be about all of us. that is the thing i am really excited about, as you showed, he has such a compelling story, such an interesting biography. classroom teacher, many years in the military, football coach, and a very effective member of congress and governor. , one thing you notice right away about him, is that it is not about him. i was thinking about what those different experiences have in common, being a teacher, being

a coach, being a senior noncommissioned officer. what they all have in common is they are all about cultivating and supporting other people. you can tell that is what he is about, and that is what this ticket is about. i think it is rude -- one of the reasons why the trump campaign can figure out what to do with this ticket, even more so today than what has been true ever since she became the nominee. they cannot fathom a campaign, or any leaders, that are not about themselves. but, this campaign -- as impressing and compelling the ticket is -- they have also made it clear this campaign is not about them, it is about you, it is about us, it is about the future of this country. i think his personal qualities and his message really speak to that in a way that is going to continue that focus on the american people, and that is how she is going to win this election. >> it is such an important point in politics. as you know, you ran for president rather successfully. it is really about who you represent, and sometimes that has been lost, as we watch

donald trump runaround tried to protect himself. i want to play some of how tim walz contrasted the two campaigns tonight. you and i talked about the freedom, and the freedom message. i will get your thoughts on the other side. >> some of us are old enough to remember -- when it was republicans who were talking about freedom. it turns out, now, what they meant was, the government should be free to invade your doctor's office. [ applause ] in minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. [ cheers and applause ] even if we would make the same choices for ourselves, there is a golden rule -- mind your own business! [ cheers and applause ] >> i mean, i love "mind your own business," because it is so ironic given the republicans' run as democrats are trying to overreach in government, and that is basically what they are

trying to do. what you make of that messaging? >> if it is a classically midwestern way to put forward this simple point, that is how republicans, today's trump republican party, really lost the claim that conservatives and republicans used to make on being the party of freedom. you know, as you know, for years, i have believed that democrats need to talk about that more, and we are seeing that in such effective form in this campaign. she has made freedom a key theme of her campaign. i saw governor shapiro tonight also speaking powerfully in his remarks in philadelphia to the importance of freedom. and governor walz captured it so well when he said, you can't claim to be about freedom when you are invading people's family decisions and healthcare decisions the way today's gop has, ever since trump demolished the right to choose. and again, i just love the formulation that brings it back down to basics in a way that i think is really going to connect with a lot of people who are turning into this

campaign. especially with all the change of the talk -- top of the ticket. asking that one question that every campaign is fundamentally about -- what does this mean for me, and how is my future going to be different if it is this leader, versus the other leader? >> it is all about how people feel it will impact them, to your point. now, there are some big moments coming up. there is, of course, the democratic convention coming up in just two weeks. tonight, we also saw governor walz challenge jd vance to a debate, so that will be interesting to watch. if that debate happens, he is not going to have a lot of time to prepare, he will need someone to stand in for jd vance in debate prep. do you know any democrats that can play a millennial, ivy league educated, republican from the midwest? >> obviously, i will make myself useful however will i can, but i am still trying to recover from the experience of trying to inhabit the mind of mike pence in order to play that role for kamala harris,

when she was in debate prep four years ago. again, i will do anything to help this ticket win, but i don't know if it will come to that, but i think the contrast is fantastic. i mean, again, somebody who is so clearly and straightforwardly connected to the experiences of most americans, the way tim walz is. i mean, the first time i met him -- or, at least the first time i spent much time with him -- was at the minnesota state fair. it was right next to the enclosure where they do the butter sculpture, the life- sized brother -- butter sculpture, which is about as prototypical he minnesota state fair as i can imagine. he greeted me like an old friend, and i just remember thinking, he is obviously the governor, i know what he looks like, and he sounds like the governor, but he didn't carry himself as somebody who thought he was more important than anybody else in the room, or the building, or the fairgrounds. he is somebody who just knows where he came from and gets where people are at. seeing the contrast between that, and jd vance -- who has contorted himself repeatedly

from a never trumper, silicon valley investor, to now trying to be a voice of the working class midwest -- it is just going to be an extraordinary contrast and i am very much looking forward to watching that debate. >> and if anyone from the harris campaign is watching, it sounds like mayor pete is saying he is willing to embody jd vance for a period of time, if needed, for the cause. we will see. i want to ask you, because you seem to enjoy fighting back against -- in fox news interviews, and against this information out there. we have already seen a bit of this today, which is this kind of accusation that tim walz, the governor of minnesota, a former high school teacher, former football coach, is somehow a san francisco liberal -- not that there's anything wrong with that, but he is not one -- that he is somehow linked to chinese communist party. what do you think? should they take these attacks on? what should they do? they are trying a lot of

things, but some of them may resonate with people. what do you think? >> yeah, i think they are flailing right now, they just don't know how to respond to this campaign that, again, as excited as we are about the vp and her running mate, they are not making it about themselves. it is about all of us. the term campaign doesn't quite know what to do. they also definitely don't know what to do with any effort to unify the country, so they are going back to what they always do, which is division. you know, you saw it with the abhorrent remarks from donald trump at napj, really trying to, you know, shift the conversation from all of us to him by blurting out these racially charged remarks at the national association of black journalists. wisely, cleverly, i think kamala harris responded to it, condemned it, but then dismissed it and got right back to her message and i think that will be the same response you will see here.

of course, they are trying to say he is too far last. they say that about literally any democrat running against literally any republican. if it was joe manchin, they would be saying the same thing, because it is all they know how to say. of course, that will be refuted, and we will remind everybody that, you know, if you think, i don't know, making sure that everybody in minnesota had paid family leave, if he has done, if you think that is too far left, you can go around saying that, but the vast majority of americans think that is a good idea. yes, you can do the point by point answer, we will do the fact checking, but i think it is really important not to take the bait, because they will try to redirect the conversation toward whatever is darkest and most divisive, and you know, most out of that same old playbook that we are seeing again, and again, and again. you can see how tired americans are of that playbook, and how energized people are. i mean, that rally -- i just caught a few minutes of it -- but, off the charts energy there, so you can see americans are ready for something different. and i think the more the trump campaign flails in that old, dark, divisive mode, yeah, they will grab some attention here and there for whatever

outrageous claims they make about our ticket. but, i don't think a lot of it is going to stick, because none of it is true, and maybe most importantly, because i think people are just kind of bored with that sort of thing. >> yeah, it is a little boring. also, making him smaller and not bigger is a big part of strategy. former south bend, indiana mayor, pete buttigieg, thank you for talking with me tonight. coming up, after introducing her new vice presidential running mate tonight, kamala harris talked about the example that governor tim walz once set for a former high school student. that student joins us this hour. but first, new reporting on how exactly tim walz went over kamala harris. that is next. stay with us. cormac cormac that specializes in trauma. i've been doing flight nursing for 24 years. i had a fear that i wouldn't be able to keep up. i wanted all the boost i could get! i heard about prevagen from a friend. i read the clinical study on it and it had good reviews. i've been taking prevagen now for five years and it's really helped me stay sharp and present. it's really worked for me. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription.

trump weakens our economy to strengthen his own hand. he mocks our laws, he sows chaos and division. and that is to say nothing of his record as president. make no mistake, violent crime

was up under donald trump. [ audience reacts ] that's not even counting the crimes he committed! [ cheers and applause ] >> that was minnesota governor tim walz, of course, making his harris campaign debut and taking on donald trump. walz did not hold back there, going over trumps chaos, his criminality, and the weirdness of trump's vice presidential pick, jd vance. joining me now is tim miller, former inc spokesman and host of podcast, thank you so much for being here. i know you have had a long day, but let me start with you. you were at the rally today, you saw the moment tim walz took the podium. what was that moment like in the room? >> in the room, you had with the harris campaign said was 14,000 people in this arena, and really, they were screaming, they were cheering,

they were laughing. this was a jubilant crowd, and having covered the democrats and seemed the way that people are so anxious about what president biden was going to do, to see on the other side of the people feeling relief and pure joy, that is what we were feeling. also what was interesting, to watch people react. first, to vice president harris when she was talking about former president trump as this sort of criminal, people were shouting "lock him up." then they were shouting and chanting, "we're not going back," thinking about the idea that they want a more inclusive america. when tim walz got on the stage, people were just sort of having a great time. he had a number of singers, including the one you pointed out, saying that violent crime is down, and including the crime trumps committed. this had people applauding and laughing, but he also said something about the fact that common sense gun laws are really important. people were laughing and jubilant then, because they were hearing a new messaging

from democrats that the party has a sort of wanted to get to in some ways. so, people welcoming tim walz, saying that they are happy to have someone who checks so many boxes. the fact he has ivf experience, he is a veteran, she is a teacher, someone who has been a governor and understands executive leadership. he passed a bunch of progressive policies like codifying roe v wade, and universal school lunches, so many different things that democrats really see in him and are excited to have him. >> yeah, no question. people are just learning so much about him, which is why we are talking about it. tim, let me ask you. there were a lot of good moments in that rally, but there is one i want to play and i was thinking, i wonder what tim thinks about this, while i was watching it. i'm going to play it and then we will get your thoughts on the other side. >> like all regular people i grew up with in the heartland,

jd studied at yale. had his career funded by silicon valley billing your nurse -- billionaires and then wrote a best seller trashing that community. come on! that's not what middle america is. and i have to tell you, i can't wait to debate the guy. [ cheers and applause ] that is, if he is willing to get off the couch, and show up. so -- >> [ laughter ] so, one of my favorite parts was vice president harris' face when he said that, just watching her in the background. now, tim, i didn't have a "get off my jet -- couch joke -- i am sure people google that and were bluffing. but, what did you make of that, the whole riff he had there about jd vance, too? >> yeah, my neighbors is a wonderful lady and i can't explain the couch joke live on tv in case she is watching, so we will let that one slide. if you know, you know. the rest of it, i liked. i think there are some concerns that with tim walz and some of

us has, that this ticket will have to work a little bit harder to reach out to center- right folks who voted for joe biden in 2020 then maybe some of the other contenders. i think you mentioned he checked a lot of boxes. that is one that maybe he doesn't check very well, but here is one that he checked the best -- a clean contrast with jd vance, which i just love. i want somebody who can deliver, and that first riff, he can keep expanding on it, but i love that story, as they both went to serve their country -- credit, jd vance for that. but, what happens when the come back? tim walz gives to his community, becomes a teacher, football coach, takes them from zero wins to winning the state championship. what does jd vance do? he takes money from silicon valley billionaires, he goes to yale, he writes a memoir in his 20s -- who does that? -- and then makes a movie script out of it. just a real person from the heartland that knows heartland

people, heartland values, that lives it, versus somebody that ran away, then started sucking up to rich people. i think that is a really good contrast for the ticket. >> it is a really good one, and actually i think a debate would be so fun and fascinating to watch. i hope it happens. you have done some really interesting reporting on what went into the pick and how we got here. i know we are going to move on from how we got here starting tomorrow, but why don't you talk about what you learned about the importance of that face to face meeting and how vice president harris ended up picking tim walz? >> well, it is really fascinating, because i was told they started off with nine names, and then by sunday, they had whittled it down to three people who got in person interviews, that was mark kelly, the senator from arizona, josh shapiro, the governor of pennsylvania, and tim walz, governor of pennsylvania. i was told in that interview, there was just a great rapport, and she really felt like after that meeting that her gut was telling her that this was someone she could get on the

ticket who could help her win, but also someone who she could really trust to have her back, someone who will be able to take leadership from a woman, who will be likely, if she is elected, the first woman president, the first black woman president as well as the first south asian woman to be president, so there was a lot of thinking and they wanted someone who wasn't going to undermine her. as one source told me today, they didn't want someone who would sabotage her. but interestingly, when you look at the other people on the ticket, mark kelly is when i asked -- why not mark kelly? i was told by several sources that he was seen as someone who wasn't as loyal to president biden in those weeks when people were trying to drop him off the ticket and push him out. he was sort of neutral and they didn't like that idea and also didn't like the idea that he wasn't someone who wasn't as supportive to the biden-harris administration when it came to

border policy, wasn't really helping them pass legislation. when it came to josh shapiro, i heard, what you think about him? one was the ambition issue, whether or not he might be looking at a 2028 run for the next year run, or what that ambition might look like. but also, i had heard this idea that they are going to have a lot of protests at the dnc, they are bracing for that, protests by palestinian people, and protesters who feel that they are not doing enough with the civilian deaths in gaza, and josh shapiro, they was in discussion -- it didn't sink in, but something that was discussed as to why he might not be the person that would beat out tim walz. >> it is really interesting to hear about the facts in these cases. now, you alluded to this a little bit, and i think so no -- some of the never trumpers were shapiro fans, i think it is safe to say. he is still a huge talent in the democratic party but one of the huge republican attacks today was that vice president harris was afraid to pick shapiro. do you think that attack -- or is there a different attack that democrats should take seriously? there are a bunch of crazy ones being thrown against the wall, but what ones do you think they should focus on?

>> i don't know. i respect the reporting, that is great reporting. i don't like the idea that they are leaking that maybe shapiro wasn't a pick because of gaza protesters. his views on the middle east are pretty much the same as tim walz. >> exactly the same. >> yeah. so, i don't love that leak. i think that attack coming from the right, that democrats hate jewish people and that is why he wasn't picked -- i don't think that dog is going to hunt when the senate majority leader is jewish, when the presidential nominees husband is jewish, when the democrats are the only people who have put a jewish person on the ticket, so i don't think that dog is going to bark. what i am concerned about with democrats is an attack that focuses on left-wing policies, particularly on immigration and crime, and i think that particularly with walz, potentially a line of attack that is now on the table is, 2020 following george floyd, the riots in minnesota, he was the governor, kamala harris had sent out a treat -- tweet -- i think that will be a vulnerability. that is looking back, we are looking forward. i think there are other ways to combat that, but i think that would be the number one thing if i was on the harris-walz

team, i would be thinking, what is the counterpunch, and how can we just make sure to send the message that this is a mainstream ticket, a law and order ticket, a foreign prosecutor, for crying out loud, on the top of the ticket. be sure to drive that home to counter, i think, potentially and more realistic vulnerability, related to crime. >> yeah, and i think people are just getting to know and it is incumbent upon them to introduce him. tim, thank you so much. go get some sleep, you have been working all round the clock. thank you for joining me tonight. coming up, tim walz's evolution from getting a ratings from the national rifle association to a "f." but first, a former high school student of tim walz who credits the governor with creating a safe space for all students. that is next. that is next. step back out there with fasenra. fasenra is an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken once every 8 weeks. ( ♪♪ ) fasenra helps prevent asthma attacks. most patients did not have an attack in the first year.

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so, here is a fun fact. governor tim walz is the first democratic vice presidential pick since 1964 who did not go to law school. instead, he spent the bulk of his career as a public high school educator, teaching social studies and geography. and for a decade, he taught alongside his wife at mankato west high school in minnesota, were students and teachers described walz as a ball of energy -- no surprise there -- with a passionate and infectious love for history. it was also a high school

football coach who helped propel the team to their very first state championship. as if it weren't a street out of an inspirational sports movie, walz also helped lgbtq students who faced bullying. earlier tonight at a campaign event in philadelphia, vice president harris spoke about how in the late '90s, one of the first openly gay students at mankato west approach walz about becoming a faculty adviser for the school's first gay-straight alliance. walz accepted. the students that he made their school a safe place for everybody. that former student, jacob braden, joins me now. jacob, thank you so much for being here tonight. i just have to start -- i imagine, you have known governor tim walz since he was a high school teacher, he was obviously impactful. what was alike, turning on your tv tonight, watching your former teacher give the speech as a vice presidential nominee? i'm sure it was a little crazy. what was going through your mind? >> certainly a surreal day, but a fantastic day for mankato west high school. i'm thrilled that america is

getting to know both tim and gwen walz. they were amazing teachers, incredibly supportive individuals and teachers of their students. it is just an exciting day for minnesota. >> you know, the country is just getting to know tim walz. i have known of him for a very long time from working in politics, but a lot of people didn't know of him a couple of weeks ago. tell us about your former teacher, just as a human being? >> so, gwen was my former teacher, tim was not, but tim helped start the gay-straight alliance. i can tell you a story about gwen as a teacher. i came out, the first openly gay student at mankato west high school, and i came out in 1999. in 1997, though, i had a class with gwen walz. she taught english literature. on the first day of class, she stood up and said, this is a safe place for lgbt students. it meant the world to me. i had never heard a teacher,

from the front of the classroom, talk about gay and lesbian issues. my heart was literally beating out of my chest. so, when i came out two years later, the first person i told was a friend, the second person i told was my sister, and the third person i told was gwen walz. both tim and gwen were incredibly supportive of their gay students, and they modeled values of inclusivity and respect. that helped not just me -- i was bullied in high school -- it helped not just me, but i also think it helped the bully. it showed the bully a better path forward. and i can think of no one better than tim walz to show that better path forward for america. we have had, with president trump, a bully president. it is a one act show with this president, and all he knows how to do is the politics of the bully.

tim walz will show us a better way forward. he has been showing and modeling that better way forward for me all the way back to 1997. >> you know, as you said, he wasn't your direct teacher, he was an adviser for the club that you were a part of, right? you asked him to be the adviser for that, which shows to me that he was willing to stick his neck out there at a time when, as you said, a lot of people weren't. you told the washington post something which i thought was really interesting, that one of his greatest strengths is his ability to sell seemingly progressive ideas to seemingly not progressive crowds. tell me what you think that means, just in terms of what kind of a vice president he would be? >> yes, well, that's true. he has the ability to talk to all manner of crowds. there is actually a story, when he ran for congress the first time, he ran on a position of

being for gay marriage in 2006, one of the most anti-tran27 years in american politics, but he came out for gay marriage. my mom actually said to him -- this was before he said he was going to run -- she said, "tim, you don't have to be for president biden seven marriage for our family. but, i have to look my president biden seven students in the eye, as i am for gay marriage." so, not only was he for gay marriage, but he was at a harley davidson biker rally, and they asked him about helmet laws, and they say, argue for or against helmet laws? he said, well, i think it is stupid not to wear a helmet, i believe in personal freedom, i am not for helmet laws, probably stupid for me to eat as many cheeseburgers as i am eating, but the government shouldn't tell me how many cheeseburgers to eat. the government shouldn't tell you not to wear a helmet, if they shouldn't tell me how many cheeseburgers not to eat. it should also not tell your gay neighbors that they can't get married. so, he would go to a harley

davidson biker debate and talk about gay marriage. that is just his skill. he has the ability to talk about progressive issues and make them in a way that all of us can understand. and he is a remarkable individual. >> jacob, thank you so much for your time tonight, for speaking out, and i think seeing the humanity of someone tells you a lot about what kind of leader they are, so i really appreciate it. still to come tonight, how kamala harris' new running mate went from nra pariah, and what that says about tim walz. that is next. is next. [window slamming] woman: [gasps] [dog barking] ♪ woman: [screams] ♪ [explosion] [explosion] ♪ [lock clicks shut]

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you know, growing up hunting taught me a lot about responsibility and respect. lessons i hope to pass onto my kids. i'm proud to stand with the nra to protect the rights of sportsmen and gunowners. >> that was vice president harris' new running mate, tim walz, proudly declaring his support for the national rifle association in a radio ad in 2010. the same year, not only did the nra give walz a a rating, but they also endorsed him over his republican challenger. in 2018, guns and ammo magazine named then representative walz is one of the top 20 politicians for gunowners. okay, now hold all of that in your mind and listen to walz's state of the state address as governor of minnesota last year. >> the time behind hiding behind thoughts and prayers is gone. we need action and we need it now. so, here is what is going to happen -- [ applause ] here is

what is going to happen. we have a gun safety bill on the table, and we are going to get it passed, and i am going to sign it. >> one month after that speech, governor walz did just that, treating a bill with a red flag lot and expanding background checks for gun owners in minnesota. there are plenty of articles online slamming walz as a political chameleon, and claiming that he made an epic flip-flop on guns, but that simply is not true. this change for walz has been more than a decade in the making. >> the question was, "how do you get there?" i have been open to it, i have listened, i have talked to people and watched people on both sides of this. but again, when i turn on my television like everybody else and this is repeated again and we are not doing anything about it, when i said i was open to it in 2012 to see what is happening -- i have seen enough, like america. i have seen enough of this. in the wake of the sandy hook elementary school shooting in 2012, a shooting that left 20

children and six adults dead, walz wasn't sure what the w answer was to address gun violence, but he told the press he was not willing to do nothing. after the las vegas shooting killed 60 people and heard ed almost 500, walz donated every penny he ever received from the nra to charity. after the parkland high school shooting killed 17 people and d injured 17 more, walz got a wake-up call on this issue from his own daughter. au >> hope woke up like many of you did five weeks ago and said dad, you're the only person i know in elected office. you need to stop what is happening. i spent 25 years in the army and i hunt. >> so walz's position has changed. it was an evolution and i bet a lot of americans went through that same evolution with him and the willingness to acknowledge and change your view is not a weakness in a leader, it is a strength. we will be right back.

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in minnesota we believe in the second amendment. but we also believe in common sense gun violence laws. >> that was governor tim walz earlier tonight, referencing his strong record on passing gun safety laws in the state. that is one of the reasons walz is called a gen z ally. along with abortion protections and legalizing marijuana. maxwell frost, the first gen z member of congress had this to say. walz knows what it means to show the people the government can work for them. congressman maxwell frost adjoins me now. great to see you. his evolution, and i thought of you when i read this. he had a a rating with the nra and a lot of things happened, including the parkland shooting. after that he had a conversation with his daughter and said enough is enough. i know the parkland shooting was so impactful on your life. i wonder how you think about

that part of tim walz's story. >> i appreciate the question and the thing that gives me so much comfort in hearing his story is the fact that there are so many americans that have the same story. there are so many people voting for democrats up and down the ballot. they are gunowners. they are people who have guns. they are people who saw shootings happen, heard from the kids and believe we have to do something about it but for far too long did not vote for the people because the nra leaders told them it was the wrong thing to do. that it was against their values and against their beliefs, but tim walz is showing us that is a complete lie sold to us from the nra. you can be someone who comes from gun culture and still believe in common sense gun reform and here's the thing, the numbers prove it. over 90% of americans are for universal background checks.

most republicans are for universal background checks. most nra members are for universal background checks. so he represents people, but here is the best part, he also represents what people can be and as we speak there are gun owning americans who want to make that decision, to pull that lever and fill in that bubble for kamala harris and tim walz because they want to save lives, but they have been told it was the wrong thing to do. what we want to tell people is that the nra is not for everyday gunowners, they are for gun manufacturers. they are not an advocacy group for owners, they are a lobbying front for the gun lobby to make more money, no matter how many people are killed. that is something that tim walz understood and came to the realization of after the parkland shooting and after his own daughter came to him and said we've got to do something about this. not only did he donate all of the money he received from the

nra to charities and nonprofits, but he did something about it. past red flag laws in the state of minnesota and fought to pass legislation around gun violence and he will do the same as vice president of the united states. >> i love how you describe -- first of all, evolution on issues is a sign of leadership, not a sign of weakness. i think that is how people should talk about it. we don't have much time left, unfortunately. walz has multiple positions and i listed some that are popular with young voters. what do you think he should lean into on the campaign trail that is going to keep the momentum going and sort of the excitement we are sing from a lot of people, but including members of your generation? >> i would say two things, number one his authenticity. this is the most authentic ticket we've seen. it is why the vice president has blown up on tiktok and the

same with governor walz. they are real people and i think this generation is done with people who feel like they have been made in a laboratory to become a politician. they want people to run and they represent that. the second is that governor walz has shown what it means that government can work for them. that when you vote for someone you get something out of it. that is important to keep in mind. republicans have a slim majority. with a very slim majority governor walz has gotten for universal school lunch for all kids. feeding our children, making sure they're not going hungry. he has passed red flag laws, past protections for labor unions. past record money for affordable housing and he showed people that when you vote, when we when we actually get something for our