Tim Walz breaks free from his bubble

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the weeks following the vice presidential debate, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz has been sounding more like the aggressive campaigner who got the role than the buttoned-up figure he’s cut since joining the ticket.

Dressed in khakis and a navy Harris-Walz sweatshirt Monday, Walz delivered some of his sharpest attacks yet against former President Donald Trump. Walz appeared more natural in his latest appearances on the trail, including in his signature flannel in rural Pennsylvania, after shedding the blue sport coat and white collared shirt he’s favored for the last few months.

He’s also getting back on the TV circuit, with appearances coming up on “The View” and “The Daily Show,” according to a campaign official, after Walz went viral pre-running mate selection with his labeling of the GOP ticket as “weird” in a cable news interview.

“I’m one or two interviews from being a regular on Fox News,” Walz said at a campaign stop in Valencia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. The Democrat appeared on “Fox News Sunday” two weekends in a row, and he said at the campaign stop that he returned to speak directly to undecided voters watching the channel.

It’s all part of what the Harris-Walz campaign said would be a “more aggressive” approach to campaigning for the Minnesota governor following his debate with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance earlier this month. Before then, he had been almost completely missing on TV since becoming the Democratic vice presidential nominee and avoiding answering questions from the media.

In the last few weeks, Walz has been barnstorming swing states, appearing on multiple media platforms, and sharpening his attacks against the Trump-Vance ticket. 

“Donald Trump, over the weekend, was talking about using the U.S. Army against people who disagree with him,” Walz said. “He called it the enemy within, and to Donald Trump, anybody who doesn’t agree with him is the enemy. I tell you that, not to make you fearful or anything, I tell you that because we need to whip his butt and put this guy behind us. That’s what you need to do.” 

Walz has often been vocal about Trump’s age while on the campaign trail, painting him as a “nearly 80-year-old” — one of the many ways the Democratic presidential campaign has shifted since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. This week, Walz said the 78-year-old Trump has not released his medical records because he “forgot” to do so. 

And Tuesday night while campaigning in Pittsburgh, Walz said, “If this was your grandfather, you would take the keys away,” when talking about Trump’s Monday night rally in Pennsylvania where he chose to play music as opposed to answering town hall questions. 

Walz is also now participating in multiple local television and radio hits a day, appearing on podcasts, and even had a late-night appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

“I wish this thing wasn’t so close,” Walz said during a recent fundraiser in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He then referenced something he said his wife, Gwen, has often told him.

“As my wife says, quit wishing about it and do the work,” Walz said.