Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, called on his fellow Democrats on Saturday to "be a little meaner" and stand up to President Donald Trump, who he described as a "bully."
Walz, a 2024 vice presidential candidate, was the keynote speaker at a Democratic Party state convention in Columbia, South Carolina, where he took jabs at the Republican president and sought to energize his party's activists.
"Maybe it's time for us to be a little meaner, a little bit more fierce, because we have to ferociously push back on this," Walz told the crowd in the Palmetto State.
The comment came after he said he had been accused of being "mean" when he threw criticism in recent months at Trump administration officials, including billionaire Elon Musk, who has since left his role in the federal government.
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"The thing that bothers a teacher more than anything is to watch a bully," Walz, a former schoolteacher, said. "And when it's a child, you talk to them and you tell them why bullying is wrong."
"But when it's an adult like Donald Trump, you bully the s--- out of him back... This is a... cruel man," the governor added.
The Minnesota Democrat also criticized Trump as a "wannabe dictator" and an "existential threat."
"Donald Trump is the existential threat that we knew was coming," Walz said, noting that, for Democrats, "it is going to be a challenging few years here."
"We've got the guts and we need to have it to push back on the bullies and the greed," he said.
Walz also appeared Friday night, along with Maryland Democrat Gov. Wes Moore, at the party's fundraising dinner and after-party fish fry hosted by South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn. Walz and Moore are on a long list of potential 2028 presidential candidates who have been traveling to early-voting states, although the Maryland governor said he would not run for the White House in the next election cycle.
"I want to be clear: We can and we must condemn Donald Trump's reckless actions. But we would also be foolish not to learn from his impatience," Moore said in his remarks.
"Donald Trump doesn't need a study to dismantle democracy or use the Constitution like a suggestion box. Donald Trump doesn't need a white paper to start arbitrary trade wars that raise the cost of virtually everything in our lives," he added.
The events gave the two governors the opportunity to test out their messages in front of hundreds of Democrats in the state that has long held the South's Democratic presidential primary and, last year, kicked off the party's nominating calendar entirely.
State party chair Christale Spain has said she will renew the argument to keep the state's number one position in the next cycle, although national party organizations have not settled their 2028 calendars yet and party officials in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada are also looking to go first.
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Just as he did on Friday night, Walz praised his fellow Democrats in his speech on Saturday for having the "courage" to keep fighting in a largely Republican state, where Democrats have not won a statewide election in about two decades and only hold one congressional seat.
"Damnit, we should be able to have some fun and be joyful," Walz said. "We've got the guts and we need to have it to push back on the bullies and the greed."
Walz has not officially said if he will seek a third term as governor in 2026, but acknowledges he is considering it. He has also given mixed signals on a potential 2028 presidential run.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
