WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out calling Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after the targeted shootings of two state lawmakers, saying that to do so would “waste time.”
One lawmaker and her husband were killed, and the second legislator and his wife sustained serious injuries in the shootings early Saturday. A suspect surrendered to police on Sunday.
The Republican president spoke to reporters early Tuesday aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after abruptly leaving an international summit in Canada because of rising tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. Asked if he had called Walz yet, Trump said the Democratic governor is “slick” and “whacked out” and, “I’m not calling him.”
Presidents often reach out to other elected officials, including governors and mayors, at times of tragedy, such as after mass killings or natural disasters, to offer condolences and, if needed, federal assistance.
On the plane, Trump sounded uninterested in reaching out to Walz, who was the vice presidential running mate for 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump. During the campaign, Walz often branded Trump and other Republican politicians as “just weird.”
“I don’t really call him. He’s slick — he appointed this guy to a position,” Trump said. “I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I’m not calling him. why would I call him?
“I could call him and say, ‘Hi, how you doing?’” Trump continued. “The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a, he’s a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him but why waste time?”
Trump’s mention of “this guy” being appointed to a position appeared to be a reference to Vance Boelter, the suspect who surrendered to police after a nearly two-day manhunt in Minnesota.
Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, records show. Hoffman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. It was unclear if or how well Hoffman and Boelter knew each other.
Friends and former colleagues interviewed by The Associated Press describe Boelter as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for Trump.
Authorities say Boelter also shot state Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, injuring them at their residence about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away. Federal prosecutors charged Boelter with murder and stalking, which could result in a death sentence if convicted. His lead attorney has declined to comment.
On Monday, Walz posted a message of thanks on social media to Ontario Premier Doug Ford for his call expressing condolences to the Hortman family and the people of Minnesota.
“In times of tragedy, I’m heartened when people of different views and even different nations can rally together around our shared humanity,” Walz wrote.
In an interview Monday with Minnesota Public Radio, Walz said he wasn’t surprised by the lack of outreach from Trump, saying, “I think I understand where that’s at.”
Walz said he has spoken with Vice President JD Vance and was “grateful” for the call and had talked with former President Joe Biden, Harris and Ford.
“I’m always open to, you know, people expressing gratitude. Vice President Vance assured us, and he delivered, that the FBI would be there as partners with us to get it done,” Walz said. “That was what needed to be done.”
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Associated Press writer Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Md., contributed to this report.
