Good morning. Gov. Tim Walz opened his seventh State of the State address on Wednesday night with kind words for Democrats and Republicans in Minnesota, whom he praised for working together to make the state “America’s best place to raise a child.” Walz's bipartisan tone vanished when he turned his remarks to Donald Trump, saying the president has chosen to “destroy the federal government’s ability to help people” and “throw our economy into turmoil.”
“This current administration in Washington, they’re not forever,” Walz said. “These small, petty men will disappear into the dustbin of history, and when they do, there will be an opportunity and an obligation to actually rebuild government so that it works for working people.”
My colleague Allison Kite and I were there as Walz spoke to a narrowly divided Legislature and positioned himself as both a foil to Trump and a good-faith partner to Republicans at home. The message didn’t resonate with some Republicans, including Rep. Harry Niska, who said the governor’s attempt to offer GOP lawmakers an olive branch was “overshadowed by a quite frankly angry rant about Donald Trump.”
“I don’t think that serves the state of Minnesota,” said Niska of Ramsey.
Walz walked the political tightrope of a governor who's mulling running for re-election while leaving the door open to a possible national bid in 2028. House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman of Brooklyn Park said she thought Walz effectively conveyed his feelings about Trump while committing to work with Minnesota Republicans.
“I think you can’t be alive and an American today and not say something about Donald Trump and the chaos that we’re seeing from Washington, D.C.,” Hortman said.
Walz hasn’t yet said if he will run for a historic third consecutive term as governor in 2026 and plans to make his decision after the legislative session ends. But on Wednesday night, he sure sounded like someone who is running for re-election, discussing his love for the job and wanting to write "the next chapter in our great Minnesota story."
“If we don’t govern responsibly, someone else will get a chance to govern irresponsibly. And I refuse to let that happen,” he said. Read more.