A Minnesota state representative insisted that a bill keeping trans athletes out of girls' and women's sports was "state-sanctioned genocide" during a hearing on Monday.
During arguments for the Preserve Women’s Sports Act in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Rep. Alicia Kozlowski, of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, made remarks that have since gone viral and incited backlash for her labeling of the bill as "genocide."
"Members, make no mistake that this is just another version of state-sanctioned bullying and genocide," Kozlowski said. "And I don't say that lightly."
Footage of Kozlowski's comments have spread across various social media platforms, prompting harsh responses.
One user on X directed critics to the representative's profile on the platform on Monday.
However, by Tuesday afternoon, Kozlowski's X account had been deactivated.
It is not even the first time in the last two weeks that a state Democrat lawmaker deactivated their X account after facing backlash for an aggressive push to protect trans inclusion in girls' sports.
Ryan Fecteau, the Maine House of Representatives' Democratic speaker, deleted his X account last Thursday, just days after censuring Republican Rep. Laurel Libby.
Libby was censured by the Democratic majority Tuesday evening for a recent social media post pointing out that a transgender high school athlete won a girls' competition. The censure resolution passed by a 75-70 vote and revoked Libby's speaking and voting privileges.
Meanwhile, Fecteau's Facebook and Bluesky accounts were flooded with angry comments from users who condemned the censure, and supported Libby.
And like Fecteau, Kozlowski has been bombarded with angry comments on her other social media accounts that are still active.
The most recent post on Kozlowski's Instagram account alone already has more comments than any other post on her profile.
"You should look up the word genocide and educate yourself before you use it lightly," one user wrote.
Another user commented, "Why do you hate girls having fair competition? Biological males 100% of the time will have an advantage… It's literally in their DNA, which can't be changed. You know own, science and all that."
Kozlowski was one of the 66 Democrats who voted against the bill, keeping it one vote shy of reaching the necessary 68-vote threshold for passage.
The act stated that "only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls."
"Female means a female as biologically determined by genetics and defined with respect to an individual’s reproductive system," the bill states.
In contrast with Kozlowski, many Republicans spoke in favor of the ball, citing the desire to protect women's spaces from biological males.
"We cannot allow our girls to be vulnerable to losing their spot on the team, being on the podium, or to injury by a male teammate or male competitor," said state Rep. Peggy Scott. "That is not safe and that is not fair to our girls."
Former Minnesota Vikings player Jack Brewer joined Riley Gaines at the Minnesota state Capitol on Monday to support the bill. Brewer told Fox News Digital last week that he believed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was "disgusting" for continuing to allow biological males in girls' sports in the state.
"It's absolutely disgusting, and it's why, when you see him and you see his mannerisms and the way he carries himself, you know this guy doesn't appeal to real men and boys who have battled it out on the gridiron, man. I have nothing in common with this guy," Brewer said.
"I think he's a disgrace to the football world to be honest."
The Minnesota State High School League is one of many state scholastic conferences that announced it would continue letting trans athletes participate in girls’ sports, defying President Donald Trump's recent executive order to prevent it.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, though, wrote a letter late last month warning of the consequences of not passing the "Preserving Girls’ Sports Act."
"The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has begun a Title IX investigation into the Minnesota State High School League," the letter from Bondi read. "If the Department of Education's investigation shows that relevant Minnesota entities are indeed denying girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them to compete against boys, the Department of Justice stands ready to take all appropriate action to enforce federal law."
If your member of Congress is a Republican, you may not be able to attend an in-person town hall anytime soon.
Elijah Nouvelage/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Republicans have been facing outcry at town hall meetings from constituents over DOGE cuts.
Now, some Republicans are signaling that they're doing away with in-person town halls.
Some Democrats are already capitalizing on the moment, pledging to hold events in red districts.
If your member of Congress is a Republican, you may not be able to attend an in-person town hall anytime soon.
After weeks of protests over DOGE-driven cuts to the federal workforce, freezes on federal funding, and other early actions taken by President Donald Trump's administration, GOP lawmakers are signaling that they're likely to move away from the format.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Tuesday that he believes the protesters are "literally paid" by the liberal megadonor George Soros, and that they're using the town halls to generate "sound bites" to make Republicans look bad.
"They're doing this for the cameras, we all know it, and I think it's not to play into it right now," Johnson said.
The Wall Street Journal's Olivia Beavers reported that Richard Hudson, the chairman of House Republicans' campaign arm, directly urged lawmakers not to hold in-person town halls.
Newsy: NRCC Chair Richard Hudson just very dramatically told members to put down their phones and listen, per source in room.
He said no one should be doing town halls. Likened it to 2017, said the protests at town halls and district offices are going to get even worse. Another…
Johnson told reporters that Republicans would engage with constituents in other ways.
"There's lots of different ways and forums to do it. You can do it in telephone town halls. You can have small subgroups of people from different industries and segments of the community," Johnson said. "We find that to be very, very productive, and more productive than if you just go to an open forum right now."
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who was confronted at a town hall over the weekend, told reporters on Tuesday that he hasn't decided whether he'll continue holding in-person town halls.
"We did a telephone town hall last night," Marshall said. "We can reach thousands of people more at a time."
Meanwhile, Democrats are seizing on the moment, with some pledging to take the fight to Republicans' turf.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna wrote in an op-ed for The American Prospect that at the end of March, he would travel to three GOP-held California districts to "speak out against DOGE's mass firings and the Republicans' Medicaid cuts."
And Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota wrote on X that he would host events in districts where Republicans refuse to hold town halls.
"If your Republican representative won't meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will," Walz wrote.
That’s a shame. If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will.
Hell, maybe I will. If your congressman refuses to meet, I’ll come host an event in their district to help local Democrats beat ‘em. https://t.co/EtysJK75gK
Failed 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate and current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently floated a potential 2028 presidential run, garnering mockery online as critics sarcastically implored him to throw his hat in the ring.
Laughing emojis and comments such as "Need a morning chuckle" or "Yes please" were splashed across conservative social media accounts after Walz floated a potential 2028 presidential run during a recent conversation with the New Yorker.
Walz ran alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democrats' 2024 ticket in the waning months of the election cycle after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity and age.
Walz demurred at first when asked if he would run for president during the New Yorker interview published Sunday, before saying he would run if the opportunity presented itself.
"Well, I had a friend tell me, ‘Never turn down a job you haven’t been offered,’" Walz said when asked if he would run for president.
"If I think I could offer something ... I would certainly consider that," he said. "I’m also, though, not arrogant enough to believe there’s a lot of people that can do this."
He said that under the correct circumstances and if he has the right "skill set" for the 2028 race, "I’ll do it."
"You might do it?" the New Yorker asked.
"I’ll do whatever it takes," Walz said. "I certainly wouldn’t be arrogant enough to think that it needs to be me."
"I’ve always said this: I didn’t prepare my life to be in these jobs, but my life prepared me well," he said. "And, if this experience I’ve had and what we’re going through right now prepares me for that, then I would. But I worry about people who have ambition for elected office. I don’t think you should have ambition. I think you should have a desire to do it if you’re asked to serve. And that’s kind of where I’m at."
Social media critics had a field day on X over the remarks, resurrecting the "Tampon Tim" moniker, mocking the prospect of a Walz presidency, while encouraging him to make a run official.
"Tampon Tim" was a nickname used by conservatives during the election cycle that mocked Walz’ Minnesota policies that provide menstrual products "to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students," as opposed to stating the products were intended for female students.
After Biden's exit from the 2024 race in July, Harris simultaneously launched her campaign as well as her search for a running mate, combing through a list of high-profile Democrats and lesser-known allies before choosing Walz.
Following the Democratic ticket’s loss, political strategists and insiders launched post-mortems on the campaign, with a handful pointing to Harris’ selection of Walz as her running mate as opposed to another candidate, such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is popular in the key battleground state that ultimately voted for President Donald Trump.
Walz added in his conversation with the New Yorker that he and Harris ended the campaign cycle on good terms, but that he has only spoken to the former vice president a handful of times since November 2024.
"I’m doing my job, and she’s doing her job, and she’s out in California, I believe, living, and I’m here in beautiful Minnesota, where the weather’s always great," he said.
"Well, maybe she doesn’t want to talk to me after we got this thing done," Walz said while laughing when asked why they don’t speak more frequently. "No, I think it’s just there’ll be a time and a place. But we left good, and my family misses her. My daughter, especially."
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for any additional comment on a potential presidential run or response to social media critics, but did not immediately receive a reply.
Former Minnesota Vikings and University of Minnesota football player Jack Brewer will be joining conservative activist Riley Gaines for a rally in his home state Monday to lobby for a bill to ban transgender athletes in women's sports.
The "Preserving Girls' Sports Act" passed in the state's House Education Policy Committee Feb. 20 and will be voted on in the House of Representatives Monday. If it passes there, it will go to Gov. Tim Walz's desk, where it is expected to get vetoed because Walz is a strong advocate for transgender rights.
Brewer, the founder of the Jack Brewer Foundation, told Fox News Digital he finds Walz's pro-trans stances "disgusting," especially considering Walz was a high school football coach at Mankato West High School in the 1990s.
"It's absolutely disgusting, and it's why, when you see him and you see his mannerisms and the way he carries himself, you know this guy doesn't appeal to real men and boys who have battled it out on the gridiron, man. I have nothing in common with this guy," Brewer said.
"I think he's a disgrace to the football world to be honest."
In April 2023, Walz signed the "Trans Refuge" bill that shields people seeking and providing gender-affirming care in the state. Recently, Minnesota has come under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for defying President Donald Trump's recent "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order because Minnesota has continued to allow trans athletes to compete against girls in high school.
Walz's daughter, Hope Walz, recently went viral for a series of TikTok videos in which she spoke out against Trump's executive order and in defense of transgender athletes.
Brewer hopes to have a conversation with the governor about this issue.
"When I get there on Monday, if he would invite me in his office and have a conversation about this, I would respectfully accept it," Brewer said. "I would tell him that I know that deep down in his heart he doesn't believe in it.
"I think deep down in his heart he knows it's wrong. I think he's trying to appeal to a far-left liberal base … and raise money. These LGBTQ groups donate a lot of money, particularly in Minnesota. So, the money and power they have is really pushing this legislation."
Brewer does not expect Walz to sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.
"You know he's not going to do it because it's just who he has continued to be," Brewer said. "I pray that he has a change of heart and an awakening, but I'm sure if he does sign it, it will just be because the money train has ended."
Gaines also told Fox News Digital she doesn't expect Walz to sign the bill.
"I'm fairly certain Gov. Walz would veto this bill," Gaines said. "But even if it doesn't have the best possibility of being signed into law, it is so, so important that we have these members, these representatives, these senators, on the record. Do they stand with women or do they not?"
Walz's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment before publication.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday requesting the Domestic Policy Council examine ways to make in vitro fertilization, known as IVF, more affordable and accessible for Americans – despite the fact Democrats cautioned that Trump would seek to ban the procedure.
"Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000," the executive order said. "Providing support, awareness, and access to affordable fertility treatments can help these families navigate their path to parenthood with hope and confidence."
Specifically, the order requires the assistant to the president for domestic policy to provide a list of policy recommendations aimed at "protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment" within 90 days, according to the order.
The directive comes months after former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election against Trump, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, accused the Trump administration of being "anti-IVF."
Specifically, Walz singled out Trump’s running mate, then-Sen. JD Vance, a practicing Catholic who voted in June against the Right to IVF Act. The Catholic Church opposes IVF, saying unused embryos pose a moral dilemma.
But Vance said in August 2024 he doesn't believe all his religious views should translate to public policy since the U.S. is a "democratic society," he told the New York Post.
"Catholic social teaching is obviously very robust," he told the Post. "I think that no person who, or at least no one I know who’s Catholic, doesn’t accept that just because the Catholic Church teaches something, doesn’t mean you necessarily as a legislator need to affect that to public policy."
The Right to IVF measure would establish a nationwide right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology, but it failed to pass in the Senate.
"JD Vance opposing the miracle of IVF is a direct attack on my family and so many others," Walz said in a social media post on X in July 2024.
Walz previously claimed that he and his wife, Gwen, struggled to conceive and shared details during the 2024 campaign about the couple’s experience using IVF to become pregnant with their two children.
But Gwen Walz later clarified in August 2024 in an interview with Glamour magazinethat the couple actually used intrauterine insemination, known as IUI, to conceive. The process involves using a catheter to place the sperm directly into the uterus to increase odds of conception.
In contrast, IVF requires the removal of a woman’s eggs and injecting them with sperm to create embryos, which then are placed back into the woman’s uterus.
More than 85,000 babies born in 2021 were from IVF, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Costly IVF treatments are rarely fully covered by health insurance, and only 25% of employers report providing coverage to their employees, according to the White House.
Trump unveiled plans in August 2024 that he’d seek to require insurance companies to cover the cost of IVF, stating he was pushing the policy "because we want more babies, to put it nicely."
Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota announced Thursday she won't seek re-election in 2026, forcing the Democratic Party to defend another open seat in next year's midterm and making more difficult their goal of regaining the Senate majority.
"I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026," Smith said in a social media post. "This job has been the honor of a lifetime. For the rest of my term, I’ll work as hard as I can for Minnesotans and our country. Thank you so much, Minnesota."
Smith was appointed to the Senate in 2018 to succeed former Sen. Al Franken after his resignation over sexual misconduct allegations. She won a special election later that year to serve out Franken's term and was re-elected in 2020 to a full six-year term.
Senate Republicans vowed to try and flip Smith's seat in blue-leaning Minnesota.
"Minnesota is in play, and we play to win. Minnesotans deserve a senator who will fight for lower taxes, economic opportunity and safer communities," National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Sen. Tim Scott said in a statement to Fox News.
But the Senate Democrats' campaign arm quickly pledged to keep the seat in party hands.
"No Republican has won a Minnesota Senate race in over 20 years, and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026," Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) spokesperson David Bergstein emphasized in a statement to Fox News.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the chamber, praised Smith as "a remarkable senator — smart, compassionate, and tireless in her commitment to Minnesota and the country."
"While I will deeply miss her leadership and friendship in the Senate, I have no doubt that her legacy of service will continue to inspire. We have a strong bench in Minnesota, and I’m confident that we’ll keep her seat blue," Schumer predicted.
Smith became the second Democrat in the Senate to announce she would forgo running for re-election in the midterms, following Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, a key Midwestern battleground state.
Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red and won a 53-47 majority in the chamber. An early read of the 2026 map shows they will continue to play offense in some states but will be forced to play defense in others.
Besides the open seat in Michigan, the GOP will target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire.
However, Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026.
The Cook Report, a top nonpartisan political handicapper, this week rated Minnesota as "Likely Democrat," as it unveiled its first read on the battle for the Senate majority in the 2026 cycle.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who served as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate on the Democrats' 2024 national ticket, took to social media after Smith's news.
"Tina has always done the work to improve people’s lives: lowering the price of insulin, improving access to mental health services, passing historic climate legislation, and our party’s champion for reproductive freedom. Minnesotans will miss having her in the Senate," Walz wrote.
There is speculation Walz, who is eligible to run for re-election in 2026 for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor, may now have an interest in his state's open Senate seat.
Smith, in a video announcement she posted on social media, noted that Democrats "have a deep bench of political talent in Minnesota. A group of leaders that are more than ready to pick up the work and carry it forward. And I'm excited to make room for them to move forward."
Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan moved toward launching a campaign, saying in a social media post, "I love Minnesota, and my intention is to run for United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state. I’ll make a formal announcement later this month."
There's also speculation that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a member of the so-called Squad, may make a move to run for the Senate.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's daughter, Hope Walz, went viral this week for a series of TikToks criticizing President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports.
Walz posted her first video about the issue Saturday, when she called the order "a dangerous precedent."
"It is dangerous for the trans community, women, minorities, anyone who is not a straight white man," she said in the video. "We are talking about human beings, and the president of the United States is targeting them because he thinks it will gain him political points or whatever."
She suggested the issue of trans athletes in women's and girls sports "is not real."
"I have never felt unsafe around a trans person. I have felt unsafe around men. So, maybe let's deal with that," she said.
Walz posted a follow-up TikTok addressing the issue Wednesday. In that video, she suggested Trump's Cabinet members have "allegations." She also made claims that more of Trump's 15 Cabinet members have "credible allegations" than there are trans athletes in high school sports. Walz did not clarify which members or which allegations she was referring to.
"Transphobia and transphobes are so crazy to me because, like, the whole argument is, ‘Oh, we’re protecting women. We need to protect women.’ But then they turn around and vote for a literal felon, who, he himself as well as many of the people closest to him have credible allegations," she said. "Like, the amount of people with credible allegations in the Cabinet is more than trans kids trying to play high school sports."
However, the United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of victories because they have been defeated by transgender athletes.
The study, "Violence against women and girls in sports," said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.
"The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males," the report said.
Tim Walz was a vocal advocate for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights as Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election.
The issue of transgender athletes competing with girls and women proved to be an issue that affected the outcome of an election in which Harris and Walz lost in a landslide.
Shortly after November's election, a national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them.
And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."
A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports.
Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
Walz's home state of Minnesota is one of the states that has refused to comply with Trump's executive order.
The Minnesota State High School League announced Thursday it will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete against girls despite Trump's executive order to ban them from doing so.
The Minnesota organization said in an email to member schools that participation by, and eligibility of, transgender athletes is controlled by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which includes protections for LGBTQ+ people, and the Minnesota Constitution.
"The Minnesota State High School League, similar to other youth sports organizations, is subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity," the organization said in a statement. "Therefore, students in Minnesota are allowed to participate consistent with their gender identity."
California is another state that has refused to comply with Trump's order.
The Minnesota State High School League announced Thursday it will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete against girls despite President Donald Trump's executive order to ban them from doing so.
Trump on Wednesday signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order, fulfilling one of his major campaign promises of keeping biological men out of girls and women’s sports.
The Minnesota organization said in an email to member schools that participation by, and eligibility of, transgender athletes is controlled by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which includes protections for LGBTQ+ people, and the Minnesota Constitution.
"The Minnesota State High School League, similar to other youth sports organizations, is subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity," the organization said in a statement. "Therefore, students in Minnesota are allowed to participate consistent with their gender identity."
Minnesota joins California in ignoring Trump's executive order. The state is governed by Tim Walz, who was Kamala Harris' running mate for the 2024 election; the Democrats won the state.
The state was home to a Supreme Court case where a transgender powerlifter was continuing the fight to compete against biological women.
Trump signed the executive order on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which celebrates female athletes in women’s sports and those committed to providing equal access to sports for all females.
Prior to Trump signing the order Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said part of the motivation behind Trump's executive order would be to create a "pressure campaign" for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and NCAA to follow and prevent transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.
In response to Trump's order, the NCAA changed its policy, in place since 2010, to disallow transgender athletes from competing against women, requiring them to compete based on their birth gender.
During Trump's ceremony at the White House to sign the executive order, he announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will prohibit any transgender athletes attempting to compete as women from entering the country for the Olympics in 2028.
The United Nations released study findings saying nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of winning medals because they lost to transgender athletes.
The study, "Violence against women and girls in sports," said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.
Fox News' Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Gov. Tim Walz returned home from the campaign trail to a divided state legislature. Minnesota’s public perception of the former vice presidential Democratic nominee is just as split.
Walz ended 2024 with over $1 million in campaign cash, year-end campaign finance reports show. The blue wall state governor raised the bulk of those funds before joining Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential ticket, where he wore his camo hats and middle-class status as a badge of honor.
Walz has not formally announced whether he will seek a third term for governor but said he will likely make a decision this summer. A spokesperson said Walz is focused on leading a split state legislature in the meantime.
"Regardless of the chaos unfolding in Washington, D.C., Governor Walz will continue working with Republicans and Democrats at the State Capitol to balance the budget and make Minnesota the best state to live, work, and raise a family," Walz’s spokesperson said in a statement.
While Walz says he is committed to working across the aisle, Minnesota’s state house has spent weeks at a standstill. Republicans proposed a recall of their Democratic colleagues for failing to show up to work.
"They technically had the organizational majority to kick off on Jan. 14 when we began our legislative session," Republican state Sen. Mark Koran said. "The Democrats refused to. They held a special swearing-in ceremony in secret for their 66 members, and then they've refused for over three weeks now to show up to the Minnesota House to organize, so they can do business."
Koran said Walz has been missing in action, telling Fox Digital that the governor is anything but bipartisan.
"He is nonexistent as far as the Democrats holding this hostage," Koran said. "He's not taking a leadership role. I can tell you about the only thing he does in a bipartisan manner is he doesn't work with Republicans or Democrats, and so he's very isolated and doesn't meet with anybody."
Walz defended Minnesota Democrats for boycotting their legislative session in an interview with FOX 9 KMSP, elevating the state conflict to the national level by taking aim at DOGE’s ongoing federal layoffs.
"We are not going to allow you to do what we’re seeing at the federal level. You are not going to go in and fire state employees. You are not going to take power in a short-term window of gap. That’s not what the voters voted for," Walz said.
Minnesota Republicans told Fox Digital that controversies on the campaign trail have tarnished his reputation back home. Walz’s background dominated headlines this summer; over claims of "stolen valor" for inconsistencies describing his military service, saying he "misspoke" when he said he visited Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, and over his family's in vitro fertilization story that never was. Walz laughed off the missteps, calling himself a "knucklehead."
"The average Minnesotans didn't really know who Tim Walz was," retired Minnesota State Patrol Lt. John Nagel told Fox Digital. "With running for vice president, people suddenly realized this guy is not who so many of us thought he was. He’s not this happy grandpa teacher that wears plaid. He is an individual that wants to keep his power. He's lied to make himself look better.
"Walz's ego is bruised," Nagel added. "He is not happy that he's not walking around as vice president."
Nagel and Koran agreed the national reporting during the presidential campaign made Minnesotans think twice about Walz.
"I think Minnesotans should reject his political agenda, just as the nation did. He came back extraordinarily damaged. The Democrats are going to take him out within his own party, likely in the next gubernatorial primary. There's a Senate seat open in Minnesota. He wants the national spotlight. At the end of the day, if he has nothing else, I think he'll be running for governor again," Koran said.
Newly elected DNC Chair Ken Martin, former chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, said in a statement that Republicans "have tried to tear down Governor Walz" but the governor has maintained the trust of Minnesota voters by delivering key progressive policy.
"Partisan Republicans have tried to tear down Governor Walz, but the support and trust that he has earned from Minnesotans has endured," Martin said. "From free school meals to paid family leave, the working-class agenda that Governor Walz and DFL leaders have championed enjoys strong support from a clear majority of Minnesotans. Our party is ready to fight with Governor Walz to lower costs while protecting critical investments in our schools and the programs that support working families."
Republicans in Minnesota's progressive-dominated government have notched a temporary majority in the House through a power-sharing agreement reached Thursday after Democrats refused to show up to work for several weeks.
"So, 23 days as of yesterday, none of the Democrats have come into work," Republican leader and now House Speaker Lisa Demuth told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday. "They completely boycotted the session and prevented the work from getting started here in Minnesota."
The arrangement comes after a weeks-long saga beginning in December 2024 when a district court judge ruled that Democratic House Rep.-elect Curtis Johnson did not meet the residency requirements to represent Minnesota House District 40B, rendering him ineligible to take office.
The decision temporarily tipped the balance of power in the Minnesota House, giving Republicans a 67-66 majority until a special election could be held.
Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday a special election will be held on Tuesday, March 11, which could bring back a 67-67 tie.
As such, House Democrats boycotted the legislative session beginning Jan. 14, protesting what they perceived as an "abuse of power" by Republicans attempting to leverage their temporary majority to advance their policies. This stalemate effectively denied the House the quorum needed to conduct official business, leading to the state GOP threatening Democratic lawmakers with recall efforts.
Demuth said the organizational agreement reached with Democrats taking effect when the Minnesota House convenes Thursday afternoon ensures she will serve as the Republican speaker for a full two-year term, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming special election.
Currently, with a 67-66 Republican majority, the GOP holds committee chair positions and a one-vote advantage on all committees. If the election results in a 67-67 tie, committee leadership will be shared between Republicans and Democrats, alternating control over schedules and agendas. The Fraud Prevention and Agency Oversight Committee will remain under Republican control, with a 5-3 GOP majority, for the full two-year period, she said.
"We definitely have an advantage," Demuth said. "And I think it's important to recognize that the reason that there is a special election that needed to be called is because the Democrats had a candidate that lied and cheated and couldn't take office."
Demuth said Republicans – who have been gaveled in by the state secretary every day despite the stalemate – are looking forward to addressing the state's budget and other key issues once lawmakers convene Thursday.
"We need to stop the fraud in the state of Minnesota," Demuth said. "And according to test scores, our test results for our K-12 education, specifically in fourth and eighth grade, continue to plummet under the leadership of Gov. Walz, and so [the Democrats] have prevented all of that work to even begin."
Demuth criticized the governor for his lack of engagement during the legislative standoff, noting that "he has not contacted me at all as caucus leader during this time." She said he issued a press statement suggesting that "Republicans need to start working with Democrats," but argued that his statement was "very partisan" and ultimately "a disservice to Minnesotans."
"Minnesotans need us to do the work. It's not Republican or Democrat, but when you have a party that stayed out to prevent the work, you have a governor that isn't even encouraging his own party to show back up, he's really doing a disservice to the people of Minnesota," said Demuth, whom the Minnesota Star Tribune noted becomes the state's first Black House speaker.
During the first week of the Democrats' boycott, Walz told lawmakers, "Just work together on a power-sharing agreement," the AP reported. "That’s the way it’s going to end up. And I think that can work out really well."
The Republican State Leadership Committee provided a statement to Fox News Digital in which it congratulated Demuth for securing the House leadership role, adding in part, "Voters have made it clear they want Minnesota House Republicans to be a strong check on Tim Walz and his extreme liberal agenda."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz's office and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party for comment.
Republicans in Minnesota's progressive-dominated government have notched a temporary majority in the House through a power-sharing agreement reached Thursday after Democrats refused to show up to work for several weeks.
"So, 23 days as of yesterday, none of the Democrats have come into work," Republican leader and now House Speaker Lisa Demuth told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday. "They completely boycotted the session and prevented the work from getting started here in Minnesota."
The arrangement comes after a weeks-long saga beginning in December 2024 when a district court judge ruled that Democratic House Rep.-elect Curtis Johnson did not meet the residency requirements to represent Minnesota House District 40B, rendering him ineligible to take office.
The decision temporarily tipped the balance of power in the Minnesota House, giving Republicans a 67-66 majority until a special election could be held.
Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday a special election will be held on Tuesday, March 11, which could bring back a 67-67 tie.
As such, House Democrats boycotted the legislative session beginning Jan. 14, protesting what they perceived as an "abuse of power" by Republicans attempting to leverage their temporary majority to advance their policies. This stalemate effectively denied the House the quorum needed to conduct official business, leading to the state GOP threatening Democratic lawmakers with recall efforts.
Demuth said the organizational agreement reached with Democrats taking effect when the Minnesota House convenes Thursday afternoon ensures she will serve as the Republican speaker for a full two-year term, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming special election.
Currently, with a 67-66 Republican majority, the GOP holds committee chair positions and a one-vote advantage on all committees. If the election results in a 67-67 tie, committee leadership will be shared between Republicans and Democrats, alternating control over schedules and agendas. The Fraud Prevention and Agency Oversight Committee will remain under Republican control, with a 5-3 GOP majority, for the full two-year period, she said.
"We definitely have an advantage," Demuth said. "And I think it's important to recognize that the reason that there is a special election that needed to be called is because the Democrats had a candidate that lied and cheated and couldn't take office."
Demuth said Republicans – who have been gaveled in by the state secretary every day despite the stalemate – are looking forward to addressing the state's budget and other key issues once lawmakers convene Thursday.
"We need to stop the fraud in the state of Minnesota," Demuth said. "And according to test scores, our test results for our K-12 education, specifically in fourth and eighth grade, continue to plummet under the leadership of Gov. Walz, and so [the Democrats] have prevented all of that work to even begin."
Demuth criticized the governor for his lack of engagement during the legislative standoff, noting that "he has not contacted me at all as caucus leader during this time." She said he issued a press statement suggesting that "Republicans need to start working with Democrats," but argued that his statement was "very partisan" and ultimately "a disservice to Minnesotans."
"Minnesotans need us to do the work. It's not Republican or Democrat, but when you have a party that stayed out to prevent the work, you have a governor that isn't even encouraging his own party to show back up, he's really doing a disservice to the people of Minnesota," said Demuth, whom the Minnesota Star Tribune noted becomes the state's first Black House speaker.
During the first week of the Democrats' boycott, Walz told lawmakers, "Just work together on a power-sharing agreement," the AP reported. "That’s the way it’s going to end up. And I think that can work out really well."
The Republican State Leadership Committee provided a statement to Fox News Digital in which it congratulated Demuth for securing the House leadership role, adding in part, "Voters have made it clear they want Minnesota House Republicans to be a strong check on Tim Walz and his extreme liberal agenda."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz's office and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party for comment.
The Minnesota Republican Party vowed to pursue constitutional recalls against any Democratic legislator who refuses to show up at the state legislature's first day of session on Monday.
Democrats have threatened to boycott the first two weeks of the session in an effort to block Republicans from taking advantage of a narrow and temporary majority in the state legislature. Minnesota GOP Chairman Alex Plechash argued at a Monday press conference that intentionally skipping work would expose Democratic lawmakers to election recall efforts.
"Minnesotans expect one thing from their elected officials: to show up and do the job they were sent here to do. That's a basic duty, not a special request," Plechash said, speaking at the Minnesota state capitol.
Republicans currently enjoy a 67-66 seat majority in the state House and could use that majority to set legislative rules for the next two years when the session begins on Tuesday. Their advantage is likely temporary, however, with a special election in a lean-Democratic district scheduled for January 28. The previous Democratic lawmaker in the district, Curtis Johnson, won his election in November, but was later disqualified after courts determined he did not truly reside in the district.
Republicans will therefore enjoy a majority for at least the two weeks between the start of session on Tuesday and the special election at the end of January. Republicans are also contesting the election of another Democrat, Rep. Brad Tabke, who won re-election by 14 votes after county elections officials lost 20 absentee ballots in one precinct.
"We are committed to holding every lawmaker accountable. If you don't show up for the job, you shouldn't keep it," Plechash said.
GOP Attorney Ryan Wilson says Minnesota law requires that a recall petition receives at least 25 signatures from voters in a given district. Once obtained, the petition is then sent to the Minnesota Supreme Court to determine whether the cause for the recall meets legal standards.
Wilson said the GOP would be basing its recall requests on "nonfeasance," or the failure to perform an act that is required by law.
If the state Supreme Court approves that reasoning, the petition would then need to be signed by at least 25% of the number of voters in the district who cast ballots in the November election. If it passes that threshold, the district would then hold a recall vote.
"We've never had a situation like this in the history of the legislature, where 66 members of a caucus are unwilling to show up for work," Wilson said.
Republican state Rep. Pam Altendorf argued Democrats are only facing a disadvantage "because of cheating." She added that the lawmakers are "acting like sore losers and not coming to work."
The presidential election generated numerous high-profile political gaffes this year, including President Biden’s widely-panned debate performance and him calling Trump supporters "garbage" in the closing days of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Here are six of the biggest political gaffes of 2024:
A disastrous performance by President Biden during his debate with former President Trump on June 27 appeared to be the beginning of the end for Biden's 2024 re-election campaign.
He struggled with a raspy voice and delivered rambling answers during the debate in Atlanta, sparking doubts about his viability at the top of the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket.
Biden’s campaign blamed the hoarse voice on a cold and the 81-year-old admitted a week later that he "screwed up" and "had a bad night," yet that didn’t stop a chorus of Democrats from making calls for him to drop out of the race.
In a shocking move, Biden then pulled the plug on his campaign on July 21 and endorsed Harris, who would go on to lose to Trump in November.
Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden in New York City on Oct. 27 made headlines when a comedian mocked different ethnic groups, calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
Then, during a conference call with the Voto Latino group on Oct. 30, Biden said, "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters."
Biden and the White House then tried to clean up his words in the days afterward. However, the remark was quickly likened to Hillary Clinton’s labeling of half of Trump supporters as belonging in "a basket of deplorables" in 2016, a comment that was widely seen as undermining her campaign.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ answer to a question during an Oct. 8 appearance on "The View" may have been a turning point in the 2024 presidential election.
Co-host Sunny Hostin asked Harris, "If anything, would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?" Harris paused for a moment and then said, "There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of — and I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact."
Hostin had given Harris a clear opportunity to differentiate herself from Biden, but Harris instead effectively cut an ad for Trump's campaign by allowing it to tie her directly to an unpopular administration.
Harris’ running mate Tim Walz raised eyebrows during his vice presidential debate with Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, on Oct. 1, when he declared he had "become friends with school shooters."
The poorly timed mishap occurred when the Minnesota governor was asked about changing positions on banning assault weapons.
"I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents. I’ve become friends with school shooters. I’ve seen it," Walz said.
Walz presumably meant he had become friendly with parents who lost children during horrific school shootings.
Trump appeared to confuse then-Republican presidential primary opponent Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a rally in New Hampshire on Jan. 20.
Speaking in Concord, Trump said that Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations, had been responsible for the collapse of Capitol Hill security during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Trump has previously blamed Pelosi for turning down National Guard support before the riot.
"You know, by the way, they never report the crowd on January 6, you know, Nikki Haley. Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, you know, they — did you know they destroyed all the information and all of the evidence. Everything. Deleted and destroyed all of it, all of it, because of lots of things, like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard. So whatever they want, they turned it down. They don't want to talk about that. These are very dishonest people," Trump said.
Harris found herself in the headlines repeatedly this year for making confusing verbal statements.
"I grew up understanding the children of the community are the children of the community, and we should all have a vested interest in ensuring that children can go grow up with the resources that they need to achieve their God-given potential," the vice president once said in September.
"We are here because we are fighting for a democracy. Fighting for a democracy. And understand the difference here, understand the difference here, moving forward, moving forward, understand the difference here," she then said at a campaign event in November.
The remarks drew criticism and ridicule from conservatives online.
President Biden mistakenly introduced Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin" during a NATO conference in Washington, D.C., in July.
"And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination," Biden said, before starting to leave the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin."
"He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin," Biden then said, appearing to realize the verbal stumble. "We got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President."
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Jacqui Heinrich, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, David Rutz, Brian Flood and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Former President Barack Obama's years of dominating Democratic Party politics may be drawing to a close, as he and party leaders will likely face a "greater reckoning" after Democrats’ losses in the 2024 election, experts predict.
The whirlwind presidential election saw the Democratic Party rally around both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee at separate times – all with Obama’s seal of approval. The political landscape shifted with a single tweet from Biden on a Sunday July afternoon, with Obama and his allies deeply entwined with efforts to navigate the party to what they hoped would be an electoral victory come Nov. 5, a look back at the cycle shows.
President-elect Trump notched a decisive win last month, racking up 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226 and taking a victory lap for what the media has described as an "historic political comeback" that has shaken the Democratic establishment as they pivot to combating Trump 2.0 and his policies.
"I think there are going to be big demands for a greater reckoning. The Democratic politburo – Obama, Pelosi, Schumer, Jeffries and others – all participated in the obvious lie that Biden was capable of a second term, in the anti-Democratic move to install a wholly untested Vice President Harris," Democratic strategist Julian Epstein told Fox News Digital when asked about Obama’s legacy following the election. "And in lacking the courage for the past four years to stand up a progressive left whose policies are far out of touch with most voters."
"They all failed the test of leadership in this respect."
This month, Obama delivered a speech at the 2024 Obama Democracy Forum, which earned him a headline on MSNBC, reading, "Obama still doesn’t get why Trump won. That’s the problem."
"Obama’s characteristic rhetorical virtues were on full display. He was a constitutional law professor before he was a politician, and he still sounds like one. At the same time, he was a once-in-a-generation talent as a political communicator. He knows how to convey a complex set of ideas in a digestible and appealing way," the op-ed read.
"But there was a massive gaping hole at the center of his speech. He still doesn’t understand why his eight years in power culminated in the rise of Trump," the op-ed continued, arguing that the "first step" to better respond to Americans’ demand for change from the status quo "is to stop listening to Barack Obama."
The Democratic Party and Harris campaign have been dragged by some allies, such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, for moving away from working-class voters while Trump rallied their support. Harris came under fire, for example, for featuring Hollywood celebrities and musicians during her campaign rallies, which were viewed as tone-deaf as Americans struggled with inflation, and their anxiety mounted over ongoing wars in Israel and Ukraine.
Now,the Democratic Party is in the midst of a reckoning over the failed election efforts, which saw the White House and Senate flip red and the House remain in the GOP’s control.
"Harris’ advisers blame everything but themselves for their loss," an op-ed published in the Washington Post this month reads. The piece took issue with how a handful of Harris campaign staffers joined the left-wing "Pod Save America" podcast, which is hosted by former Obama aides, and defended their work on the campaign.
David Plouffe, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Stephanie Cutter and Quentin Fulks joined the show – all of whom, except Fulks, previously worked for Obama’s presidential campaigns or administration.
"What the four never did is directly admit any major mistakes they made. ‘We should have really pushed Harris to distance herself from President Biden’; ‘Maybe we spent too much time in Arizona’ (Harris lost there by 6 percentage points); ‘We should have had a Palestinian speaker at the Democratic National Convention.’ There were no blunt statements like that," the op-ed read.
While the New York Post editorial board declared in a headline following the election: "Trump and America bury the Obama doctrine."
When "Obama installed Kamala Harris as the latest face of his revolution, the American public of all colors, ages and genders finally called time," the Post editorial board argued. "Voters at last saw through the industrialized demonization of Trump and woke up to the truth that his policies are far closer to the American ideal and what they consider normal."
"Let’s all pray that our self-proclaimed betters in their Martha’s Vineyard mansions will finally realize that this was the death of ‘Obamaism’ once this latest thumping fully sinks in," they concluded.
Amid the unprecedented election cycle for Democrats, Obama and his longtime allies have been entwined with Biden’s exit and Harris’ rise and fall as the nominee.
Concerns over President Biden’s mental fitness had circulated for years, heightening last winter when Special Counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating the president’s alleged mishandling of classified documents when he was vice president, characterized Biden in his report as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Biden’s actions on the national and international stage soon came under further scrutiny, showcasing a handful of gaffes and miscues, including Obama taking Biden’s wrist to seemingly lead him offstage at a fundraiser in LA in June, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni directing Biden back to a gaggle of world leaders in Italy that same month, and data showing Biden frequently delivered remarks to supporters at campaign rallies for a shorter amount of time than a sitcom.
Amid the controversy, however, Obama was seemingly acting as Biden’s political closer to help lock up votes and donations, joining the 46th president at swank fundraisers in California and New York City, and at a moderated conversation with late night host Stephen Colbert between Obama, Biden and former President Bill Clinton.
Biden and Trump’s only debate of the election cycle opened the floodgates to both Democrats and Republicans questioning and sounding off with concern over Biden’s mental acuity. Biden was seen tripping over his words during the debate, losing his train of thought at times, responding with a raspy voice, and was overall slammed for having a slow and weak demeanor while squaring off against Trump.
Just days after the disastrous debate, Obama defended Biden’s performance by arguing the election pitted a political crusader supporting "ordinary folks" against Trump, whom he described as a man "who only cares about himself."
"Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight – and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November," he posted to X, accompanied by a link to Biden’s campaign website.
Obama remained vocally coy on Biden in the subsequent days, as the White House was grilled about the president’s mental acuity, and soon traditional Democratic allies of the president began calling on Biden to pass the torch to a younger generation.
Notably, a list of Obama allies and former advisers led the charge in calling for Biden’s exit from the race, including former adviser David Axelrod, former director of speech writing Jon Favreau, former advisers Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, and Hollywood actor and longtime Obama friend George Clooney.
"It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010," Clooney wrote in a New York Times op-ed after joining Biden and Obama for the fundraiser in L.A. "He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."
As media reports circulated that Obama was working "behind the scenes" to oust Biden from the race, the 44th president remained mum, not denying the reports. Politico reported that Clooney even gave Obama a "heads-up" that his op-ed calling on Biden to bow out of the race was set to publish, with Obama reportedly not objecting to the opinion piece.
Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 in a message posted to X that Sunday afternoon. Obama commended Biden’s decades in politics in response, but did not tip his hand on who he would endorse to take his place.
"There is no singular reason why we lost, but a big reason is because the Obama advisers publicly encouraged Democratic infighting to push Joe Biden out, didn’t even want Kamala Harris as the nominee, and then signed up as the saviors of the campaign, only to run outdated Obama-era playbooks for a candidate that wasn’t Obama," one former Biden staffer told Politico.
Biden endorsed Harris the same afternoon he dropped out of the race, teeing her up for a likely nomination with just 100 days and change to rally support from voters.
Obama has had a long relationship with Harris, as she was among the first elected Democrats in the nation to endorse Obama’s first run for president in the 2008 election, snubbing Hillary Clinton in favor of the then-Illinois senator.
Harris was in attendance when Obama announced his candidacy for president in 2007, after first meeting him in 2004 when he was an Illinois state senator running for the U.S. Senate, the Washington Examiner previously reported.
"Barack Obama will be a president who finally ends the era of fear that has been used to divide and demoralize our country," Harris said during California's Democratic convention in 2008.
As Harris built her political career from San Francisco district attorney to California attorney general and then senator, Harris was even dubbed "the female Obama" by some political analysts.
In her second presidential campaign, Harris on-boarded or retained a bevy of Obama orbit allies and former staffers, including: former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe; former deputy campaign manager for Obama's 2012 election Stephanie Cutter; former Obama campaign grassroots strategist Mitch Stewart; and former Obama White House director of communications Jennifer Palmieri.
Harris also tapped Obama’s former attorney general, Eric Holder, to lead the vetting process of her potential running mates, while Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, who worked as Obama’s 2012 deputy campaign manager and Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign chair, was announced as Harris’ campaign manager.
Obama has historically held his presidential endorsements close to his vest, offering his support to Harris the Friday after Biden dropped out as speculation mounted surrounding the coveted Obama endorsement.
Obama, who was joined by former first lady Michelle Obama in the endorsement of Harris, solidified Harris as the likely nominee before the official virtual roll call vote and Harris flying to Chicago, where she accepted the nomination at the DNC.
"I’m feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible. Because we have the chance to elect someone who’s spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her. Someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you: the next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris," he declared from the DNC.
The week before the DNC, Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would join the ticket as her running mate. Two years before winning the Oval Office in 2008, Obama was one of the few high-profile Democrats in the nation to campaign for Walz when he first launched a career in politics.
Democratic strategist Julian Epstein, who formerly served as chief counsel for the House Judiciary Committee, took issue with Obama for not "sticking to his guns" this election cycle in the face of left-wing policies.
He commended Obama for challenging "woke" culture ahead of the 2020 election, but said Obama failed to amplify those calls in the coming years. He arguably allowed the left-wing faction of the party to dominate messaging and policy that shifted the party left.
BLACK GROUP FIRES BACK AT OBAMA FOR ‘INSULTING’ HARRIS PITCH: 'WORST KIND OF IDENTITY POLITICS'
"This idea of purity and you’re never compromised and you’re always politically ‘woke’ and all that stuff," Obama said back in 2019 of "woke" culture. "You should get over that quickly."
"The world is messy; there are ambiguities," he added. "People who do really good stuff have flaws. People who you are fighting may love their kids, and share certain things with you."
Epstein said Obama "backed down" to progressive Dems, while pointing to his comments from October scolding Black men who did not support Harris.
"For his part, Obama called out woke four years ago only to be shouted down by far-left virtue signalers. But rather than sticking to his guns, he backed down both during the last four years when the progressive left hijacked policy on issues like immigration, but then more recently by suggesting that working-class Black men were bad people if they didn’t fall into line with the Democratic bosses and vote for Harris. It was a very bad look," Epstein said.
Former ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski was the best in the business, and that’s supposedly why the Harris campaign picked the ESPN insider to break the news of Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, senior writer Chris Mannix reported the Harris campaign had reached out to the beloved NBA insider in August to break the news that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would be added to the Democratic ticket alongside Harris.
"Consider: In August, representatives from Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign reached out. They had settled on their nominee for vice president and wanted Woj to break it. Alas, another outlet scooped him before he could," Mannix wrote.
Representatives from the Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Wojnarowski announced in Thursday’s interview that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer before he decided to leave ESPN to take a job at St. Bonaventure.
"When you hear cancer, you think about it going through your body like Pac-Man," Wojnarowski said. "Prostate cancer, it generally stays confined to your prostate and is typically slow growing."
While his diagnosis did not force his retirement from ESPN, it did open his eyes.
"It made me remember that the job isn’t everything. In the end, it’s just going to be your family and close friends. And it’s also, like, nobody gives a s---. Nobody remembers [breaking stories] in the end. It’s just vapor."
