Jake Tapper condemned protesters chanting a derogatory slur outside Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s home, saying the behavior is “awful” and noting the echoes of a month‑old insult from former President Donald Trump. Trump called Walz “seriously retarded” on Truth Social and later defended his language. Tapper reshared a video of people honking and chanting the slur and urged users and platforms not to amplify abusive behavior. Walz’s daughter publicly decried the harassment, and the governor’s son Gus has a nonverbal learning disorder, the family told People Magazine.
Jake Tapper Slams Protesters Chanting Slur Outside Gov. Tim Walz’s Home: “Stop Being Awful”
CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Saturday publicly criticized people who have been shouting a derogatory slur outside Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s home, calling the behavior “awful” and noting that the chants echo an insult posted a month earlier by former President Donald Trump.
In a Thanksgiving message on Truth Social, Trump called Walz “seriously retarded” after the governor welcomed Somali immigrants to Minnesota. When pressed by a reporter about the offensive remark, Trump doubled down, saying:
"Yeah, I think there’s something wrong with him. Absolutely. Sure. You have a problem with it? You know what? I think there’s something wrong with him. Anybody that would do what he did, anybody that would allow those people into his state and pay billions of dollars out to Somalia—We give billions of dollars to Somalia. It’s not even a country because it doesn’t function like a country. It’s got a name but it doesn’t function like a country."
Walz responded to the exchange by urging Trump to release his MRI results.
On Saturday, Tapper reshared a post from Graham Allen, the founder of the Dear America account, which included video footage of people in a black SUV honking outside the governor’s residence and chanting the slur. Allen’s original post read: "THIS IS HILARIOUS: People are still going to Tim Walz’s house and yelling ‘retard.'"
Reacting on X (formerly Twitter), Tapper wrote: “Everyone really needs to take a breath and stop being awful, stop rewarding awfulness, and stop promoting awfulness with your algorithms.” He added, “Happy & fulfilled & confident people don’t spend time doing any of this.”
The incident has drawn emotional responses from the Walz family. Governor Walz’s 24‑year‑old daughter, Hope Walz, posted on TikTok that the president’s remark "has unleashed a f*cking sh*tstorm" of harassment directed at her and her family, and especially at her brother. The governor’s 17‑year‑old son, Gus Walz, has a nonverbal learning disorder that the family told People Magazine affects his visual‑spatial skills.
Observers and advocates say the episode highlights how inflammatory language from public figures can escalate harassment, and that repeated use of slurs contributes to a hostile environment for people with disabilities and their families.
What Happened
- Former President Donald Trump used a slur about Gov. Tim Walz on Truth Social.
- Protesters later echoed that language outside Walz’s home; video of the incident circulated on social media.
- Jake Tapper publicly condemned the harassment and called on people and platforms not to reward or amplify such behavior.
