In a surprising turn of events that has sent ripples through the political landscape, Jeff Walz, the older brother of Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, publicly endorsed former President Donald Trump for the 2024 election.
The endorsement, which came through a series of Facebook posts, has been punctuated by a family photograph showing Jeff and his immediate family wearing “Walz’s for Trump” t-shirts, a stark rebuke of Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign.
Jeff Walz, 67, a registered Republican living in Florida, has repeatedly expressed his strong opposition to his brother’s political ideology.
“I’m 100% opposed to all his ideology,” he previously wrote on social media about his famous brother. Jeff has also previously said his younger brother Tim is “not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.”
The elder Walz brother has even hinted at the possibility of publicly endorsing Trump at one of his famous rallies.
“I’ve thought long and hard about doing something like that!” he said.
The brothers, who have been estranged for eight years, are opposite ends of the political spectrum. While Tim Walz, 60, has been active in the Democratic party for two decades, Jeff has aligned himself firmly with the Republican party.
Federal Election Commission records show Jeff Walz donated $20 to Trump’s 2016 campaign.
And on the day Trump was first indicted on criminal charges, Jeff Walz echoed the former president’s rhetoric, writing on Facebook, “We’ve just become a third world banana republic.”
Despite their political differences, the brothers do share some similarities. Both worked in education, with Jeff being a former assistant principal in Florida. Both have also had brushes with the law: Tim Walz pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving over a 2005 drunk driving arrest, while Jeff pleaded guilty to retail theft in 2001.
The Harris-Walz campaign has been reached out to for comment on this family endorsement but has not yet responded.
Take a look —
Walz’s for Trump’: Tim Walz’s MAGA family picture that is going to break the internet and the left today! The left is _____… pic.twitter.com/ADaX2dWHpG
— Robert Hyde for U.S. Senate (@HydeforSenate) September 4, 2024