A sister of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz says she doesn’t recognize the people wearing “Nebraska Walz’s for Trump” T-shirts in a photo circulating on social media. It turns out they are distant cousins.
The photo shows eight smiling individuals wearing navy pro-Trump shirts underneath a “Trump 2024 — Take America Back” sign. The image was eventually reposted by former President Donald Trump, who commented on his Truth Social platform: “It is a Great Honor to have your Endorsement. I look forward to meeting you soon!”
The photo was initially posted on X by Charles Herbster, a former gubernatorial candidate in Nebraska who had Trump’s endorsement in the 2022 campaign. Herbster’s spokesperson, Rod Edwards, confirmed that the people in the photo are cousins of the Minnesota governor, who currently serves as Kamala Harris’ running mate.
“The family in the picture are the descendants of Francis Walz, who was a brother to Tim Walz’s grandfather,” Edwards stated. “They’re all Walzes and spouses.”
The descendants of Francis Walz confirmed their connection to Tim Walz in a text message to The Associated Press.
“Shortly after Governor Tim Walz was named the Democrat Party Vice Presidential nominee, our family had a get-together. We had t-shirts made to show support for President Trump and J.D. Vance and took a group picture. That photo was shared with friends, and when we were asked for permission to post the picture, we agreed,” the written statement explained.
“The picture is real. The shirts are real. We are the Nebraska Walz family, and we are related to Gov. Tim Walz; our grandfathers were brothers. The message on the shirts speaks for itself, ‘Nebraska Walzs for Trump.’”
Walz’s sister, Sandy Dietrich of Alliance, Nebraska, said she suspected it might be people from that branch of the family. Dietrich and Walz’s father, James Walz, passed away from lung cancer in 1984 when the future congressman and Minnesota governor was just a teenager. His father had been the school superintendent in Valentine, Nebraska.
“We weren’t close with them. We didn’t know them,” she remarked.
Dietrich declined to comment on their distant cousins’ opposition to her brother and referred to herself and her family as “Democrats for Tim.”
“I know who I’m voting for. That’s all I can control,” she said.
However, Tim Walz’s other surviving sibling does not support his candidacy.
Recently, the New York Post reported on Facebook comments from the governor’s older brother, Jeff Walz of Freeport, Florida. In these comments, he said of his younger sibling: “The stories I could tell. Not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.” The 67-year-old also wrote that he was “100% opposed to all his ideology” and had considered endorsing Trump, the Post reported.
In comments published Wednesday by NewsNation, Jeff Walz mentioned that he was still irked to learn via the radio that his brother would be Harris’ running mate. He emphasized that he didn’t intend to influence the political debate or be involved in any campaign.
Jeff Walz told NewsNation that he and the 60-year-old governor have not spoken since the funeral of their younger brother, Craig Walz, in 2016, except for a brief phone call last month through their mother. He elaborated that the “stories” he referred to were from their childhood.
“Nobody wanted to sit with him because he had car sickness and would always throw up on us, that sort of thing,” Jeff Walz mentioned. “There’s really nothing else hidden behind there. People are assuming something else. There are other stories like that, but I think that probably gives you the gist of it.”
He also informed NewsNation that he would make no further statements on the subject. He did not immediately return messages left Wednesday by the AP.
