Tim Walz’s Full Speech to the DNC – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Editor’s Note: The text of the speech below is as prepared. His actual delivery may have varied.

Thank you, Vice President Kamala Harris, for the confidence you have placed in me and for inviting me to be part of
this incredible campaign. Thank you to President Joe Biden for four years of strong, historic
leadership. And it is the honor of my life to receive your nomination for Vice President of the United
States.

We are all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason: we love this country! So thank you all
here in Chicago and watching at home tonight – for your passion, for your determination, for the joy
that you bring to this fight.

I grew up in the small town of Butte, Nebraska, population 400. I had 24 kids in my high school class
and none of them went to Yale. When you grow up in a small town like that, you learn to take care of each other
other. The family down the road—they may not think like you, they may not pray like you, they
maybe not as nice as you, but they are your neighbors. And you watch out for them, just like they do for
You.

Everyone belongs and everyone has a responsibility to contribute. For me that was serving in the
Army National Guard. I enlisted two days after my 17th birthday and proudly wore our country’s emblem.
uniform for 24 years. My father, a Korean War veteran, died a few years later of lung cancer and
left behind a mountain of medical debt. Thank God for Social Security survivor benefits. And thank
God for the GI Bill which made it possible for both my father and me to go to college, just as it has done for millions of others.
Americans.

Eventually I fell in love with teaching, as did the rest of my family, in fact, three out of four of us
married teachers. I ended up becoming a social studies teacher and football coach at Mankato West High
School. Go Scarlets! We had a 4-4 defense, played until the whistle every down, and even
won a state championship. Never close that yearbook, folks.

It was my students who first inspired me to run for Congress. They saw in me what I hoped to bring
them—a commitment to the common good. A sense that we are all in this together. And a
the sincere belief that one person can really make a difference for those close to him or her.

So there I was, a 40-year-old high school teacher with young children, zero political experience, no
money, and running in a deep red neighborhood. But you know what? Never underestimate a public school
lecturer.

I represented my neighbors in Congress for 12 years and I learned a tremendous amount. I learned how to work
across the aisles on issues like growing rural economies and taking care of our veterans. And I learned
how to compromise without compromising my values.

Then I came back home to serve as governor and we immediately went to work to make a difference in our
neighbors lives. We cut taxes for middle class families. We introduced paid family and medical leave. We
invested in fighting crime and affordable housing. We’ve lowered the cost of prescription drugs and helped
people escape the kind of medical debt that nearly destroyed my family. And we made sure that every child
in our state we got breakfast and lunch at school. So while other states were taking books out of their
schools, we drove hunger out of our schools.

We have also protected reproductive freedom because in Minnesota we respect our neighbors and the
personal choices they make. And even if we didn’t make the same choices for ourselves, we have
A golden rule: mind your own business.

That includes IVF and fertility treatments. This is personal for Gwen and I. Let me just say
this—even if you’ve never experienced the hell of infertility, I’m sure you know someone who has. I
remember praying every night for a phone call with good news, the knot in my stomach when the phone would ring
ring, and the agony of hearing that the treatments hadn’t worked. It cost Gwen and me years.
But we had access to fertility treatments and when our daughter was finally born, we named her
Hope. Hope, Gus, Gwen—you are my whole world. I love you all so much.

I’ll tell you how we started our family, because that’s a big part of this election.
over—freedom. When Republicans use that word, they mean that government should be free to
invade your doctor’s office. Corporations free to pollute the air and water. Banks free to
benefit of customers. But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean your freedom to
create a better life for yourself and the people you love. The freedom to create your own health care
decisions. And yes, the freedom of your children to go to school without worrying about them being shot in the
halls.

Look, I know all about guns. I’m a veteran. I’m a hunter. I was a better shot than most Republicans in Congress.
And I’ve got the trophies to prove it. But I’m also a father. I believe in the Second Amendment. But I
believe that our first responsibility is to keep our children safe. That’s what it’s all about. The
responsibility we have for our children, for each other and for the future we are building together – a future in
where everyone has the freedom to live the life he or she wants.

But not everyone feels the same sense of responsibility. Some people just don’t understand what it means
means being a good neighbor. Take Donald Trump and JD Vance: their Project 2025 will make things better
much, much harder for people who are just trying to live their lives. They’ve spent a lot of time
pretend they don’t know anything about it. But look, I’ve coached high school football long enough, I promise
you this – when someone takes the time to write a script, the intention is that they will use it.

We know what they’re going to do when they get back into the White House. They’re going to raise the cost of middle-class
families. They will repeal the Affordable Care Act. They will gut Social Security and Medicare. They will
abortion across America, with or without Congress.

It’s an agenda that no one asked for. It’s an agenda that serves no one except the wealthiest people and the
most extreme voices in our country. An agenda that does nothing for our neighbors in need. Is it
Weird? Absolutely. But it’s also wrong. And it’s dangerous. I’m not just saying that. These are Trump’s own people. They were with him for four years. And they’re warning us that the next four years
much, much worse.

When I was teaching, we always elected a student council president. And you know what? That
teenagers could teach donald trump a lesson about what it means to be a leader. Leaders don’t do that
insulting people all day long and blaming people. Leaders do the work. I don’t know about you,
but I’m ready to turn the page with these guys. So say it with me, “We’re not going back.”

We have something better to offer the American people. It starts with our candidate, Kamala Harris.
From her first day as a prosecutor, as a district attorney, as an attorney general, as a U.S. senator and
then, as our vice president, she fought alongside the American people. She stood up to predators
and fraudsters. She has taken down transnational gangs. She has taken on powerful corporate interests.
She never hesitated to reach out if it meant she could make lives better, and she always did.
with energy, passion and joy.

Folks, we have a chance to make Kamala Harris the next president of the United States. But I think we
We owe it to the American people to tell them exactly what they would do as president before we ask their opinion
votes. So here’s the part you cut, save, and send to that undecided relative.

If you are middle class or a family trying to reach middle class, then Kamala Harris is the right choice.
cut your taxes. If you’re being squeezed by the price of your prescription drugs, Kamala Harris
Take on Big Pharma. If you’re hoping to buy a house, Kamala Harris will help you make it more attractive
affordable. And whoever you are, Kamala Harris will stand up and fight for your freedom to
live the life you want to live. Because that’s what we want for ourselves. And that’s what we want for
our neighbors.

You know, I haven’t given many big speeches like this in my life. But I have given a lot of pep talks.
So let me end with this, team. It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense.
We’re driving down the field. And boy, do we have the right team to win this. Kamala Harris is tough.
She’s experienced. And she’s ready. Our job is to get in the trenches and block and tackle.
One inch at a time, one foot at a time, one phone call at a time, one door knock at a time, one $5
donation at a time. We only have 76 days left. That’s nothing. We’ll sleep when we’re dead. And
We’re going to give everything on the field.

That’s how we keep moving forward. That’s how we turn the page on Donald Trump. That’s how
we are building a country where workers come first, health care and housing are human rights, and the
government stays out of our bedrooms. That’s how we make America a place where no child
left hungry. Where no community is left behind. Where no one is told they don’t belong.

That’s how we’re going to fight. And as the next president of the United States says, “When we fight, we fight
win!” When we fight, we win! When we fight, we win! Thank you, and God bless America!