Donald Trump’s presidency has a lot of people fantasizing about who the next president will be — four years from now.
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In an interview with The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast, Kamala Harris’s former running-mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, said he was open to considering a run for the Oval Office. “If I think I could offer something… I would certainly consider that,” he said.
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“I had a friend tell me, ‘Never turn down a job you haven’t been offered,'” he continued.
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“I’m also, though, not arrogant enough to believe there’s a lot of people that can do this.”
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In the r/politics subreddit, people were excited about the thought of Walz on another Democratic presidential ticket. “Imagine Walz/AOC; that would be exciting,” user applehugs imagined.
“He was 100% the better candidate,” user HG_Shurtugal declared.
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But there were also a lot of people who were on the fence, like user jewishagnostic. “I’d consider voting for him, but I want to see him doing anything right now.”
“At least Congressmen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are speaking up and pushing back. He needs to go do some rallies or at least some interviews.”
“He needs a different approach, more ‘Tim Walz-y’ and less Democratic corporate establishment. The Harris campaign seemed inauthentic to people because they just gave the same stump speech over and over that devolved into corporate BS. He needs to go full Bernie Sanders,” user Purple_Bit_2975 suggested.
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“The thing I hear my conservative coworker repeat on blast is that, ‘He let his state burn,’ or something. But I’d vote for him. He’s definitely down to earth and represents the average American,” user Cereal4you said.
And there were people who worried about how MAGA supporters would receive him. “Teacher, great dad, loving husband, veteran, football coach, gun owner/hunter, pro-worker, and has done amazing things for the people of Minnesota. Thus, there is literally no way MAGA would vote for him,” user Knuth_Koder said.
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“He led a gay-straight alliance back in the early 2000s. That’s an unforgivable crime to half the country,” user closet_gay_in_okc said.
“This all depends on how MAGA feels after a few years. We have 90 million people that did not vote this last time. Millions of dollars were spent on getting out the vote, and it failed. We cannot count on them in the next election, so it’s sadly a matter of attrition whether MAGA changes their voting preferences,” said user williamgman.
“Tim Walz has a real job being the governor of a state. He doesn’t have time to spend the next four years campaigning against Trump,” user esoteric_enigma declared.
There were also a lot of people who straight up thought it was a bad idea, like user Emotional_Narwhal304. “I’m sorry, but no. Please no. I like Tim Walz, but right now, the Democrats have a serious brand issue and are in dire need of fresh faces.”
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“If there’s any hope of winning back voters, it’s with young, vibrant people with new and better ideas. Tim Walz is great, but many voters will just see this as one of the ‘same old Dems.'”
“Too much baggage. I voted for Harris, but it’s time to move on. He would get eaten alive in a debate. Sorry,” said user Designer_Buy_1650.
“Maybe Dems need to take a page from the GOP rulebook and put a TV personality on the polls, like Ron Perlman for the president?” user nollataulu suggested.
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“They [Democrats] need to drop the insider pipeline where people get the support of the DNC because it’s ‘their turn.’ Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton are all long-time party insiders who finally had their turn, and I think the American people can see that,” user Violet-Journey pointed out.
And finally, some people felt it was naive that anyone thought there would be a fair election in 2028, like user Affectionate_Neat868. “And we’re assuming there will be a free and fair presidential election in 2028, why? 2024 wasn’t even free and fair. Every branch of our government is massively corrupt at the moment.”
“LOL, Americans still think they will have a democracy and vote in four years,” laughed user Sir_Ivory.
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Walz is currently in his second term as Minnesota’s governor. That term ends in January 2027.
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What do you think? Should Gov. Tim Walz run for president in 2028? Let us know in the comments.
Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
