Former President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday to have the endorsement of the estranged brother of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, as well as support from other members of the Walz clan.
“I was so honored today,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during a town hall event in Harrisburg, Pa.
“His brother endorsed me,” the former president continued, referring to Jeff Walz, the brother of Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
“And his whole family [endorsed me],” Trump, who often speaks in hyperbole, added. “I saw the picture, and honestly It was a very nice-looking family.”
Jeff Walz, however, has previously said he has no intention of endorsing Trump despite publically blasting his brother.
The Republican nominee was referencing a photo that went viral on social media purportedly showing eight relatives of Tim Walz posing in front of a “Trump 2024: Take America Back” flag while wearing navy blue “Nebraska Walz’s for Trump” t-shirts.
A political operative who assisted in spreading the image told The Post the people in it were related to Walz through his paternal great-uncle, but declined to give their identities, claiming that they were overwhelmed by the attention.
Separately, the Minnesota governor’s older brother, 67-year-old Jeff Walz, caused a stir on social media when he declared in an Aug. 30 Facebook post that he is, “100% opposed” to his brother’s “ideology.”
“The stories I could tell,” Jeff Walz added. “Not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.”
He also indicated that he’s “thought long and hard” about endorsing Trump but is “torn between that and just keeping my family out of it.”
Aside from a “two-minute conversation” during the vice presidential vetting process, Jeff Walz hasn’t spoken to his brother since 2016, he said in a recent interview with News Nation.
In that interview, Jeff Walz indicated that he had no intention of campaigning with the former president or endorsing him.
“There is going to be no further statements to anybody, and we’re not campaigning or anything for him or against him or anything like that,” he said.
The Post has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Tim Walz, 60, has been credited with popularizing the notion that Trump and GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance are “weird,” an attack that has been hurled by many on the left since the Ohio senator was put on the ticket.
Trump, 78, argued Wednesday that Walz is the “weird” one.
“There’s something weird with that guy,” he said of Walz. “He’s a weird guy. JD is not weird. He’s a solid rock. I happen to be a very solid rock.”
“We’re not weird. We’re other things, perhaps, but we’re not weird,” Trump added. “There’s something wrong with that guy, and he calls me weird.”
Hannity noted during the town hall that Fox News had set up the event with the intention of hosting a debate between Harris and Trump, which the vice president declined to participate in.
The crowd was raucous and enthusiastic, with several chants of “USA, USA” and “Fight” breaking out during the proceedings.
Pennsylvania, a key swing state that could decide the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, has 19 Electoral College votes up for grabs in November.
Several polls show that the race in the Keystone State is essentially tied about two months out from Election Day.
