Does Tim Walz’s family support Trump? Photo of people wearing ‘Nebraska Walz’s for Trump’ shirts goes viral

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A sister of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz says she doesn’t acknowledge the individuals sporting “Nebraska Walz’s for Trump” T-shirts in a photograph that’s making the rounds on social media. It seems they’re distant cousins.

The photograph reveals eight smiling individuals sporting navy pro-Trump shirts, beneath a “Trump 2024 — Take America Again” signal. The photograph was finally reposted by former President Donald Trump, who wrote on his Reality Social platform: “It’s a Nice Honor to have your Endorsement. I stay up for assembly you quickly!”

The photograph was first posted on X by Charles Herbster, a former candidate for governor in Nebraska who had Trump’s endorsement within the 2022 marketing campaign. Herbster’s spokesperson, Rod Edwards, mentioned the individuals within the photograph are cousins to the Minnesota governor, who’s now Kamala Harris’ operating mate.

“The household within the image are the descendants of Francis Walz, who was brother to Tim Walz’s grandfather,” Edwards mentioned. “They’re all Walzes and spouses.”

The descendants of Francis Walz confirmed their relationship to Tim Walz in a textual content message to The Related Press.

“Shortly after Governor Tim Walz was named the Democrat Social gathering Vice Presidential nominee, our household had a get-together. We had t-shirts made to point out assist for President Trump and J.D. Vance and took a bunch image. That photograph was shared with buddies, and once we have been requested for permission to submit the image, we agreed,” the written assertion mentioned.

“The image is actual. The shirts are actual. We’re the Nebraska Walz household and we’re associated to Gov. Tim Walz, our grandfathers have been brothers. The message on the shirts speaks for itself, “Nebraska Walzs for Trump.”

Walz’s sister, Sandy Dietrich, of Alliance, Nebraska, mentioned she suspected it is likely to be individuals from that department of the household. Dietrich and Walz’s father, James Walz, died of lung most cancers in 1984 when the long run congressman and Minnesota governor was simply a young person. His father had been the varsity superintendent in Valentine, Nebraska.

“We weren’t shut with them. We didn’t know them,” she mentioned.

Dietrich declined to touch upon their distant cousins’ opposition to her brother and referred to herself and her household as “Democrats for Tim.”

“I do know who I’m voting for. That’s all I can management,” she mentioned.

However Tim Walz’s different surviving sibling just isn’t behind his candidacy.

In latest days, the New York Submit has reported on Fb feedback from the governor’s older brother, Jeff Walz of Freeport, Florida, through which he mentioned of his youthful sibling: “The tales I may inform. Not the kind of character you need making selections about your future.” The 67-year-old additionally wrote that he was “100% against all his ideology” and had thought of endorsing Trump, the Submit reported.

In feedback printed Wednesday by NewsNation, Jeff Walz mentioned that he was nonetheless irked he discovered on the radio that his brother could be Harris’ operating mate, however that he didn’t intend to affect the political debate and doesn’t wish to be concerned with anyone’s marketing campaign.

Jeff Walz informed NewsNation that he and the 60-year-old governor haven’t spoken for the reason that funeral of their youthful brother, Craig Walz, in 2016, other than a short cellphone name final month by way of their mom. He informed NewsNation that what he was referring to in his submit by “tales” have been from their childhood.

“No one wished to sit down with him, as a result of he had automobile illness and would all the time throw up on us, that form of factor,” Jeff Walz mentioned. “There’s actually nothing else hidden behind there. Individuals are assuming one thing else. There’s different tales like that, however I feel that most likely provides you the gist of it.”

He additionally informed NewsNation that he would make no additional statements on the topic. He didn’t instantly return messages left Wednesday by the AP.

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Related Press writers Randy Herschaft and Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

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