Donald Trump's official response to Vice President Kamala Harris' choice of running mate backfired Tuesday when one eagle-eyed analyst noticed a telling line.
Trump issued a statement rife with criticisms of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — among them a joke about cows and rocks — and a line that shocked those who read it.
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"Embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California's dangerously liberal agenda far and wide," the comment states.
New Republic staff writer Alex Shephard was quick to point out Trump is the first U.S. president and Republican nominee to be convicted of felony charges.
"Need to get the campaign's position," Shephard wrote, "but sure seems like they think Florida should strip Donald Trump's voting rights!"
By attacking Walz on his 2023 legislation — which restored voting rights to more than 55,000 formerly incarcerated people in his state – Trump inadvertently reminded readers of a problematic campaign narrative.
Trump, found guilty in May of falsifying business records to conceal hush money paid to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 presidential election, is now running against a former prosecutor.
Trump also stands accused of criminal election racketeering in Georgia and election interference in Washington D.C. linked to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
This did not stop Trump's team from painting Walz, a former school teacher who served 24 years with the Army National Guard, as a threat to the nation.
"Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American's nightmare," the campaign stated. "He believes that rural America is 'mostly cows and rocks.'"
Shepherd argued, "They've got nothing."
