During a recent vice-presidential debate, Governor Tim Walz faced scrutiny over his past claims of being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests on June 4, 1989. Reports from CNN and Minnesota Public Radio suggest that Walz misrepresented his time in China, indicating he was not in Hong Kong during the massacre as he previously stated, including the quote, "I was in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989, when, of course, Tiananmen Square happened." When moderator Margaret Brennan asked him why he lied about being in China at that time, Walz responded by sharing that he "grew up in small-town rural Nebraska," admitted that he "gets caught up in the rhetoric," and described himself as a "knucklehead at times." He also mentioned that he "learned a lot about what needed to be in governance" from his time in China. His evasive response was widely criticized, with commentators noting that he failed to directly address the allegations. The incident has raised concerns about his credibility and his connections to China.
