Walz says nation 'cannot afford four more years' in awkward stump speech

Democratic Party presidential nominee Kamala Harris has long been known as something of a gaffe machine when it comes to extemporaneous speaking, and it now appears that her vice-presidential running mate may suffer from the very same affliction.

As Fox News reports, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz put his foot in his mouth at a Saturday rally in Pennsylvania, telling the crowd that the nation “can't afford four more years of this,” speaking as though Harris has not been in a prime seat of governmental power since 2021.

Walz's whoops

The VP hopeful was speaking to a rally crowd in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, touching on the subject of gun violence, when he wandered into what turned out to be an embarrassing misstep.

“Things like we did in Minnesota, to have enhanced background checks and red flag laws, to get guns out of there, to make a difference, Walz said in an effort to tout his own gun control bona fides.

After a brief distraction from a rallygoer who needed some medical assistance, Walz picked up where he left off, attacking Donald Trump and JD Vance on the topic of gun violence, saying, “I'll bring her home here quick, foks: Look, Kamala Harris made it clear these guys want to instill fear. They want to tell you that [you should] just get over it, it's a fact of life. This is the way it is.”

He went on, “[Harris] simply has said it doesn't have to be this way. It doesn't have to be this way.”

That is when he made the statement that drew mockery from all corners, adding, “We can't afford four more years of this.”

Critics weigh in

While Walz may have been referring to Trump's prior term in office when he uttered those words, many listeners heard a rather different meaning, with some conservative commentators seizing the opportunity to lambaste the governor.

Former Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh posted footage of Walz's comments to X with the simple caption, “Amen.”

Rita Panahi asked sarcastically, “Dude is campaigning for Trump now?”

“WALZ FINALLY TELLS THE TRUTH: 'We can't afford four more years of Kamala Harris,” wrote Trump War Room.

The governor's awkward Saturday phrasing was not the first such error he has made while on the campaign trail, as he recently slipped and referred to Harris as a “young prostitutor,” when he surely meant “prosecutor,” and just how many other such gems await as the campaign progresses, only time will tell.