Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who was unveiled Tuesday as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, said last week that former President Donald Trump was a “threat to democracy,” and called Republicans “fascist.”

Walz seemed unperturbed by the fact that such hostile, incendiary rhetoric has been widely blamed for creating the context of fear and hatred in which a gunman tried to kill Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania just weeks before.

Walz parroted the Democratic Party talking point that Trump and running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) are “weird.” But he continued:

These guys are just weird. [Laughter] That’s who they are. It isn’t much else. Don’t give them the power. Look — are they a threat to democracy? Yes. Are they going to take our rights away? Yes. Are they going to put people’s lives in danger? Yes. Are they going to endanger the planet by not dealing with climate change? Yes. They’re going to do all that. But don’t let these guys up like they’re some types of heroes. Everybody in this room knows — I know it, as a teacher: a bully has has no self-confidence. A bully has no strength. They have nothing. [Applause] The fascists depend on fear. The fascists depend on us going back, but we’re not afraid of weird people. We’re a little creeped out, but we’re not afraid.

Tim Walz calls Trump a “threat to Democracy” and a “fascist” who will “put people’s lives in danger” just two weeks after Trump survived an assassination attempt. pic.twitter.com/ssNQdGFqEr

— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) July 29, 2024

Though Walz said “violence has no place in American politics” and that he was praying for Trump’s safety after the assassination attempt, he showed no concern that describing the opposition as “fascist,” as well as a threat to people’s “rights” and “lives” and “the planet,” might encourage violent behavior.

He attempted to minimize Trump’s heroism in standing up after being hit by the assassin’s bullet, describing him as a bully with no self-confidence or strength.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.