Kimmel, Walz Claim Minneapolis Was Payback For VP Bid

Alex Christy
April 23rd, 2026 9:48 AM

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ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz joined forces on Wednesday to speculate that the reason why President Trump sent ICE to Minneapolis earlier in the year was because Walz dared to run against him as Kamala Harris’s running mate. Of course, neither man had any evidence to back up his claims.

Kimmel wondered, “Your state, it seems to me, and correct me if I have any of this wrong—it seems to me that your state has been a target of the Trump administration ever since you ran against him. Do you believe that that is a coincidence?”

Walz replied, “No, it's not a coincidence," and after Kimmel agreed, “It's not,” added Trump’s hatred for Minnesota also has something to do with the idea that Minnesota cares about people, “And I don't think it's just me. I think he hates Minnesota because we take care of our people. We invest in people. We feed our people. I think that's what it is.”

 

 

When it came to ICE going to Minnesota, Kimmel wondered, “Do you think they wanted to surprise you? Was that just a general lack of courtesy?”

Again, Walz saw some sinister grand scheme at play, “I think they wanted to roll this out. I'm convinced they were going to pick a state. They wanted one. I think they thought Chicago, they tried it there because they had 500 in Chicago at Metro—what’d they call it, Midway Blitz? And it came to Minneapolis with about 3,500. No, I think they wanted to roll this out. I think they wanted to get a response from people that created violence so that they could use the Insurrection Act. I mean, this guy's an authoritarian, and that was his goal.”

For Kimmel, the fact that did not happen was not proof of Walz overreacting, but that the protests were successful, “And boy, so much credit to the people of your state. For the way that they responded to it. It really was—they couldn’t have handled it better than they did.”

A bit later, Kimmel shifted to Walz’s post-election relationship with Harris, “When you guys talk, do you get on the phone and go, ‘uggghhhh’?”

 

 

Walz said "yes," and “I said last time I was here, we were very hopeful. A lot has happened since then, and so look, I’m grateful. She’s out there, she’s working it. I have this theory that Donald Trump sucks up so much oxygen, we need to fill every single lane with good people who want to make sure people are fed, that we have health care, we don't fight stupid wars. Glad she’s out there.”

Getting back to Minneapolis, Kimmel recalled, “You had at the No Kings rally, Bruce Springsteen showed up in your state and put on quite a show.”

Walz described that as the “Greatest day—after my marriage, greatest day of my life," and “It was amazing. It was amazing. I'm glad he came out there. You know, he and Tom Morello were out there. They went to First Avenue. We're all missing Prince. It was ten years ago this week, and music speaks to the soul. We’re the home of Bob Dylan and the protest songs. So, we had Joan Baez, and then, of course, Bruce comes out and sings ‘Streets of Minneapolis.’ And he said that was one of the largest crowds he played in front of. He played in front of the Berlin Wall in '88. We had 200,000 people on the streets of Minneapolis protesting that.”

It is interesting Walz invoked his previous Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance because in that one he said many similar things, including that the reason why Republicans don’t like him is because he gives people food. That would suggest that ICE didn’t go to Minneapolis because Walz was Harris’s running mate, but that Walz can always find a receptive ear for his excuses in Jimmy Kimmel.

Here is a transcript for the April 22-taped show:

ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!

4/23/2026

12:25 AM ET

JIMMY KIMMEL: Your state, it seems to me, and correct me if I have any of this wrong—it seems to me that your state has been a target of the Trump administration ever since you ran against him. Do you believe that that is a coincidence?

TIM WALZ: No, it's not a coincidence.

KIMMEL: It's not.

WALZ: And I don't think it's just me. I think he hates Minnesota because we take care of our people. We invest in people. We feed our people. I think that's what it is.

KIMMEL: Did you get any, like, heads-up or warning before they sent that huge ICE force into your state.

WALZ: Not really. A Thanksgiving night tweet and all that, and all of a sudden it was there and, you know, it just intensified over the winter.

KIMMEL: Do you think they wanted to surprise you? Was that just a general lack of courtesy?

WALZ: Yeah, I think they wanted to roll this out. I'm convinced they were going to pick a state. They wanted one. I think they thought Chicago, they tried it there because they had 500 in Chicago at Metro—what’d they call it, Midway Blitz? And it came to Minneapolis with about 3,500. No, I think they wanted to roll this out. I think they wanted to get a response from people that created violence so that they could use the Insurrection Act. I mean, this guy's an authoritarian, and that was his goal.

KIMMEL: And boy, so much credit to the people of your state.

WALZ: Yeah.

KIMMEL: For the way that they responded to it. It really was—they couldn’t have handled it better than they did.

…

KIMMEL: When you guys talk, do you get on the phone and go, “uggghhhh”?

WALZ: Yes.

KIMMEL: Does that begin each conversation?

WALZ: I said last time I was here, we were very hopeful. A lot has happened since then, and so look, I’m grateful. She’s out there, she’s working it. I have this theory that Donald Trump sucks up so much oxygen, we need to fill every single lane with good people who want to make sure people are fed, that we have health care, we don't fight stupid wars. Glad she’s out there.

KIMMEL: You had at the No Kings rally, Bruce Springsteen showed up in your state—

WALZ: Yes.

KIMMEL: —and put on quite a show.

WAZL: Greatest day—after my marriage, greatest day of my life.

KIMMEL: Was it, huh?

WALZ: It was amazing. It was amazing. I'm glad he came out there. You know, he and Tom Morello were out there. They went to First Avenue. We're all missing Prince. It was ten years ago this week, and music speaks to the soul. We’re the home of Bob Dylan and the protest songs. So, we had Joan Baez, and then, of course, Bruce comes out and sings "Streets of Minneapolis." And he said that was one of the largest crowds he played in front of. He played in front of the Berlin Wall in '88. We had 200,000 people on the streets of Minneapolis protesting that.

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