Gov. Tim Walz says ‘old white men need to learn’ how to talk about abortion, reproductive health

Gov. Tim Walz told CNN that abortion rights and reproductive health care access are winning issues for Democrats on Thursday evening, hours after Vice President Kamala Harris visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul. He stressed that “old white men,” in particular, should get comfortable with conversations on the topic.

“I think old white men need to learn how to talk about this a little more,” Walz told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “And I think the big thing is: Listen to women. Listen to what they’re saying. We’ve seen that when we listen to them, they’re speaking loudly and they’re speaking at the ballot box.”

He went on to laud Harris for using medically accurate terms like “uterus” during her visit.

Walz’s comments come as President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party make abortion rights and reproductive health care a linchpin of his re-election campaign. Minnesota Democrats pushed through legislation adding a “fundamental right” to abortion here last year after narrowly winning full control of state government in 2022.

Abortion rights have also proven popular in red states as every referendum to limit access has failed at the ballot box since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Republicans have since tried to limit how often they talk about the issue.

Still, Biden himself doesn’t say the word “abortion” often, as Collins pointed out, not surprising given his age and devotion to his Catholic faith. But Walz also said those beliefs are not “mutually exclusive.”

“People of deep faith can understand a woman’s right to make these choices [is] important,” Walz said.

He also poked fun at former President Donald Trump, who earlier in the week won enough delegates to become the presumptive Republican nominee for president. Walz disputed Trump’s record in office and his golf game.

“He did not create jobs. He’s not a scratch golfer. He’s not in great shape,” Walz said. “But he did rip Roe out. He did appoint judges who are taking that away. And he will do it again.”