During the recent vice presidential debate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz acknowledged a misstatement concerning his whereabouts during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Walz clarified his previous claims that he had been in Hong Kong in the spring of 1989, amidst the pro-democracy demonstrations in China. He admitted to misspeaking about the specific timing of his visit.
“My community knows who I am. They saw where I was at,” Walz stated during the debate. He continued, “Look, I will be the first to tell you, I have poured my heart into my community. I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I’ve not been perfect, and I’m a knucklehead at times, but it’s always been about that. Those same people elected me to Congress for 12 years.”
Historical Accuracy in Question: Walz's Travel Timeline Under Scrutiny
When questioned by moderators from CBS News about discrepancies in his past statements and media reports on his travel history, Walz responded, “All I said on this was, I got there that summer and misspoke on this, so I will just – that’s what I’ve said.” He elaborated, “I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests went in. And from that, I learned a lot of what needed to be in, in governance.”
During his tenure as a teacher before his political career, Walz frequently organized educational trips to China. He claimed to have been in Hong Kong in May 1989, just weeks before the notorious massacre in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Reflecting on his experiences during a 2014 Congressional hearing, Walz recalled, “As a young man, I was just going to teach high school in Foshan in Guangdong, and was in Hong Kong in May of ’89. And as the events were unfolding, several of us went in. And I still remember the train station in Hong Kong.”
Walz Corrects Previous Statements on Tiananmen Square Protests
He also emphasized the significance of his time in China, noting, “The opportunity to be in a Chinese high school at that critical time seemed to me to be really important. And it was a very interesting summer to say the least. Because if you recall, as we moved in that summer and further on and the news blackouts and things that went on, you certainly can’t black out news from people if they want to get it.”
In a June 2019 radio interview, Walz further claimed that he was in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989, the day the Tiananmen Square massacre occurred. His admission of misspeaking appears to seek to rectify the record, perhaps highlighting the challenges of maintaining accurate public recollections under the scrutiny of political life.
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