Trump ‘can’t believe’ Harris chose Walz to be running mate: ‘Could not be more thrilled’

Former President Donald Trump was surprised by Vice President Kamala Harris‘s running mate selection of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and said he “could not be more thrilled” with her decision.

Walz, a two-term Minnesota governor, was selected as Harris’s running mate on Tuesday over reported finalists Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA). Trump expressed his shock over the selection while speaking on Fox News’s Fox and Friends on Wednesday.

“I would say my reaction is I can’t believe it. I never thought this was going to be the one that was picked,” Trump said.

He also took aim at Walz for his handling of the riots in Minnesota in May and June 2020, saying his only interaction with the governor was earlier that year when anti-COVID-19 lockdown protesters surrounded his residence when the governor allegedly called Trump to get him to say he was a good person.

“He’s a very, very liberal man, and he’s a shocking pick. And I’m thrilled — I could not be more thrilled,” Trump said.

Trump then hit Walz’s record, calling him a “smarter version” of Harris but equating him to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is widely regarded as one of the most liberal-left senators.

“There’s never been a ticket like this. This is a ticket that would want this country to go communist immediately, if not sooner,” Trump said.

He said Walz’s selection over Shapiro, who is Jewish, is “insulting to Jewish people” and also listed other people the pick was insulting to.

“This is a shocking pick, and I think it’s very insulting to Jewish people. And I think it’s very insulting to people that want security. I think it was very insulting to anything having to do with making America great again,” Trump said.

Some Republicans and commentators have speculated that Shapiro being Jewish may have taken him off of the Democratic ticket after anti-Israel protesters decried the possibility of him being Harris’s running mate over his stance on Israel — despite Walz holding similar views to Shapiro on the matter.

Walz and Harris held their first joint campaign event on Tuesday, with Shapiro addressing the rally crowd in Philadelphia just before the pair took the stage.