Tim Walz’s claim, about being in China during the Tiananmen protests, joins his military claims

Tim Walz said that he misspoke about his being in China at the time that the Tiananmen Square protests were occurring. Walz stated that he was in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989. ABC News obtained local newspaper articles from 1989 and found that Walz was in China in August 1989, well past the end of the Tiananmen Square protests.

From ABC News:

During the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2024 presidential election, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz admitted he “misspoke” about being in China during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.

Walz has repeatedly claimed he was in China for the protests during his year-long stint as a high school teacher in the southeastern Chinese town of Foshan.

As recently as in February, Walz said during an episode of the podcast “Pod Save America” that he was in Hong Kong during the protests. “I was in Hong Kong when it happened — I was in Hong Kong on June 4th when Tiananmen happened … Quite a few of our folks decided not to go in,” he said.

It appears Walz did not actually travel to the region until August 1989, according to local newspaper clippings obtained by ABC News. The pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which led to a deadly government crackdown by the Chinese government, lasted from April 15 to June 4 that year — ending about two months ahead of Walz’s travel to the country.

Additional Reading:

Murray, I., Fishel, J., & Chang, E. (2024, October 2). Walz, after coming under fire for military record, backtracks on China visit. ABC News. Link.

Category: 2024 Election