Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) criticized former President Trump, saying he knows “nothing about service,” as the campaign trail debate over Walz’s military record continues.
Walz, speaking at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, said he was proud to wear the “uniform of this country” for 24 years.
“Each of you talk about service, Donald Trump knows nothing about service,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to provide service to others when you’re too busy looking out for only yourself.”
Trump has been criticized for dodging the draft after he received five deferments from the military draft during the Vietnam War. He was granted one medical and four educational deferments.
Trump, in a post on TruthSocial earlier this week, slammed Walz as a “disgrace” when commenting on an opinion piece that criticized Walz over his military career.
The former president’s new running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), has criticized Walz for leaving the military before his unit was deployed. Members who served under Walz have said his decision came before they received the deployment orders.
Walz has also been criticized for allegedly inflating his rank in retirement, and for claiming that he carried a weapon in war, when he never saw combat.
Veterans in Congress are taking sides in the battle over the military records of the two vice presidential nominees.
The Minnesota governor said Saturday that the GI Bill, which helps soldiers pay for college, helped him continue his education.
On the campaign trail this week, Walz has criticized both Trump and Vance.
He said the former president is responsible for deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic because he “froze.” By not addressing the virus soon enough, he drove the economy “into the ground,” Walz said.
“They’ll restrict our freedoms. When they do, they’ll do what they’ve done. They’ll rig the economy so that the middle class gets nothing and the rich get richer,” Walz said. “If this guy gets an opportunity again, he won’t only pick up where he left off, it will be much worse than it was last time.”