Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) traditional masculinity and “manly man” traits are “terrifying” to Republicans, according to a Bloomberg piece that claims that Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate embodies qualities Republicans value and that he does not fear women, “[b]lack people,” or the future.
The Friday opinion essay by Bloomberg columnist Francis Wilkinson titled “Tim Walz’s Masculinity Is Terrifying to Republicans” argues that Walz’s background as a coach, military veteran, and avid hunter is unsettling for the GOP as he joins Harris on the 2024 Democrat ticket.
According to the article, Republicans have “scaled back their initial attacks on Harris’ race and gender” and, instead, are now targeting the “traditional signifiers of Walz’s masculinity,” traits that conservatives typically admire.
Tim Walz isn't afraid of women, Black people or the future; he's also a veteran and gun owner. Republicans don't know how to deal with that, @fdwilkinson writes https://t.co/igq2W4lwxu via @opinion
— Bloomberg (@business) August 9, 2024
Pointing to his supposed ruggedness, love for sports, and military service, Wilkinson insists Walz’s background poses a “challenge to MAGA mythology,” which, he claims, posits that both liberalism and feminism “threaten” traditional masculinity:
Those traditional manly traits are threatening enough on their own. But if such a marksman, state-title-winning football coach and regular guy can happily play second fiddle to a [b]lack woman running for president, then what does that say about MAGA’s efforts to reverse-engineer the 21st century? After all, if a middle-aged, heterosexual [w]hite guy who likes to hunt doesn’t have to live in constant fear of losing status and doesn’t need traditional gender and racial hierarchies to validate his life choices, then what does he need Donald Trump and JD Vance for?
Insisting that the GOP ticket is driven by “rage,” the essay further claims that the Republican Party is “fossilized, regressive, wallowing in lazy bigotry, [and] pointed to the past,” while Harris is “running for the future.”
Citing fashion writer Derek Guy, the piece compares the far-left Walz, who “grabs his own gun to go hunting,” to the “wood-chopping, horse-riding Ronald Reagan.”
The article concludes by describing Walz as “dangerous” to both former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, arguing that he is “not frightened of women, afraid of [b]lack people or terrified of the future.”
Walz has implemented some of the most left-wing policies in the nation, including providing state driver’s license eligibility and free college education to illegal immigrants, approving late-term abortion, supporting Minnesota as a “trans refuge,” mandating schools provide period products in boys’ bathrooms, and backing tax increases, all of which have contributed to a significant exodus from the state.
Breitbart News reported that Bloomberg edited a profile of Walz to note that he served in Italy — not Iraq — during his time in the National Guard.
The Democrat governor continues to face accusations of “stolen valor” after falsely claiming he carried a weapon in “war” and retired from the Guard as a command sergeant major when he, in fact, retired as a master sergeant, a rank below.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
