A sister of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz says she would not acknowledge the folks 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 exhibits eight smiling folks 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 look ahead to 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, stated the folks within the photograph are cousins to the Minnesota governor, who’s now Kamala Harris’ working mate.
“The household within the image are the descendants of Francis Walz, who was brother to Tim Walz’s grandfather,” Edwards stated. “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 Celebration Vice Presidential nominee, our household had a get-together. We had t-shirts made to indicate assist for President Trump and J.D. Vance and took a gaggle image. That photograph was shared with pals, and once we had been requested for permission to publish the image, we agreed,” the written assertion stated.
“The image is actual. The shirts are actual. We’re the Nebraska Walz household and we’re associated to Gov. Tim Walz, our grandfathers had been brothers. The message on the shirts speaks for itself, “Nebraska Walzs for Trump.”
Walz’s sister, Sandy Dietrich, of Alliance, Nebraska, stated she suspected it is perhaps folks from that department of the household. Dietrich and Walz’s father, James Walz, died of lung most cancers in 1984 when the longer term 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 did not know them,” she stated.
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 am voting for. That is all I can management,” she stated.
However Tim Walz’s different surviving sibling just isn’t behind his candidacy.
In current days, the New York Publish has reported on Fb feedback from the governor’s older brother, Jeff Walz of Freeport, Florida, by which he stated of his youthful sibling: “The tales I might inform. Not the kind of character you need making choices about your future.” The 67-year-old additionally wrote that he was “100% against all his ideology” and had considered endorsing Trump, the Publish reported.
In feedback revealed Wednesday by NewsNation, Jeff Walz stated that he was nonetheless irked he discovered on the radio that his brother can be Harris’ working mate, however that he did not intend to affect the political debate and would not need to be concerned with anyone’s marketing campaign.
Jeff Walz advised 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 quick telephone name final month by their mom. He advised NewsNation that what he was referring to in his publish by “tales” had been from their childhood.
“No one needed to sit down with him, as a result of he had automotive illness and would at all times throw up on us, that kind of factor,” Jeff Walz stated. “There’s actually nothing else hidden behind there. Persons are assuming one thing else. There’s different tales like that, however I feel that in all probability offers you the gist of it.”
He additionally advised NewsNation that he would make no additional statements on the topic. He didn’t instantly return messages left Wednesday by the AP.