Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's daughter Hope Walz took to social media to criticize Donald Trump Jr. after he shared a video on X of her father claiming that people are driving by his house and calling him and his family the R-word.
In a recent post on Truth Social, President Trump used a slur to demean those with disabilities and said Walz “does nothing”—whether “through fear, incompetence, or both"—regarding the number of Somalian refugees in his state.
Trump claimed that Minnesota, home to the country's largest Somali community, is full of “Somalian gangs" whose members "are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone.”
The president's use of the R-word slur has also struck a sore spot considering Governor Walz's son Gus has ADHD, a nonverbal learning disorder, and an anxiety disorder. Supporters of Americans with learning disabilities believe the Walz family's candidness about their son has brought much-needed awareness, potentially benefiting others facing similar challenges.
Trump Jr. replied that critics are "not wrong" in response to a right-wing account's post featuring a video of Governor Walz mentioning that he has "yet to hear from a Republican official" condemning the actions of conservatives who've driven by his house to call him the R-word.
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And Hope Walz stepped up, saying:
"It is so clear that your dad does not love you and if there is love there, it's not for your compassion, like how my dad loves me, but instead your cruelty. That's not love. I genuinely feel sad that you and your family feel the need to degrade and put down large swaths of the country in an attempt to make yourselves feel better."
"My family and I will always be richer than yours—always—because we don't find joy in this. We find joy in each other and spending time together and doing quality good things for this world together, not tearing people down."
"Those daddy issues are so, so clear and I genuinely feel sad for you. I really do hope you get the help you need. In the meantime, I'm going to keep building up that joy and love and happiness with my family because at the end of the day, that's what matters."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
In a separate, since-deleted post, Hope Walz called out the president's rhetoric, saying it's "unleashed a f**king storm" of horrible behavior toward her family—and in particular her brother.
She said:
"I’m talking about this because while my family and I are always gonna be the bigger people, the president calling my dad what he did has unleashed a f**king storm regarding offensive language towards me and my family and specifically my brother."
"I have people DMing me saying absolutely horrendous things. When I was home last week, somebody drove by and screamed that we were R-words. What world are we f**king living in.... Shame on you. All of you."
“You can call me whatever you want, you can call my dad, my mom, when it’s Gus, f**k to the no. He dealt with people calling him that last August and now there’s a resurgence? No."
You can see her video below.
Others have echoed her criticisms.
Trump himself is unrepentant, telling a reporter that he thinks there is "something wrong with" Governor Walz and declining to apologize for using what many Americans consider an offensive slur.
Over Thanksgiving, he defended his use of the slur by framing it within the context of his immigration crackdown, saying leftists have allowed the country "to be divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at, along with certain other foolish countries throughout the World, for being 'Politically Correct,' and just plain STUPID, when it comes to Immigration."
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