Gov. Tim Walz excoriates Trump, offers olive branch to Minnesota Republicans in State of the State speech

Gov. Tim Walz started his seventh State of the State address on Wednesday night with kind words for Democrats and Republicans in Minnesota, whom he said have worked together to make the state “America’s best place to raise a child.”

Then he turned his remarks to President Donald Trump, and his bipartisan tone vanished. Walz excoriated Trump, saying he’s chosen to “destroy the federal government’s ability to help people” and “throw our economy into turmoil.”

In his primetime speech to a narrowly divided Minnesota Legislature, Walz positioned himself as a foil to Trump while expressing his willingness to work with Republicans at home. He looked at his legacy over the past six years, framing it around investments made in schools and families. The speech was reflective of Walz’s ambitions as a governor who’s mulling running for re-election while also leaving the door open to a possible national bid in 2028.

“As governor, I will continue to do everything in my power to protect Minnesotans from getting hurt, and continue to provide shelter from the storm,” Walz said.

Walz’s message didn’t resonate with some Republicans, including Rep. Harry Niska, who said the governor’s attempt to offer GOP lawmakers an olive branch was “overshadowed by a quite frankly angry rant about Donald Trump.”

“I don’t think that serves the state of Minnesota,” said Niska, R-Ramsey.

With weeks left in the 2025 legislative session, Walz also called on Minnesota lawmakers to unify and pass a new state budget. Legislators are staring down a May 19 deadline to adjourn. The state is constitutionally required to have a balanced budget by July 1 or parts of state government could shut down.

Here are five takeaways from Walz’s State of the State address.

Walz hasn’t yet said if he will run for a historic third consecutive term as governor in 2026 and plans to make his decision after the legislative session ends. But on Wednesday night, he sounded like someone who is running for re-election.

The governor discussed his love for the job and writing “the next chapter in our great Minnesota story.” He stressed the need to pass a balanced state budget that avoids a future deficit and acknowledged the possible political consequences of not doing so.

“If we don’t govern responsibly, someone else will get a chance to govern irresponsibly. And I refuse to let that happen,” he said.

The former vice-presidential candidate, who’s held town-hall style events in other states in recent months, also touched on the importance of showing Minnesotans — and Americans — that “there is a better way to govern.”

“This current administration in Washington, they’re not forever,” Walz said. “These small, petty men will disappear into the dustbin of history, and when they do, there will be an opportunity and an obligation to actually rebuild government so that it works for working people.”

Walz said Minnesota has written a story about “what it means to govern like good neighbors.” He said both Democrats and Republicans deserve credit for the state’s successes over the years.

“No matter what’s happening in Washington, Republicans and Democrats have a record of working together here in Minnesota,” Walz said.

He signaled eagerness to work with Republicans on a two-year budget, embracing the notion of compromise.

“This is how government is supposed to work,” Walz said. “It’s supposed to be people of differing opinions coming together to negotiate in good faith. Our Legislature is narrowly divided, but I believe we can unify.”

Walz’s olive branch for Republicans was only for those at home.

Where lawmakers have come together in Minnesota, Walz said, Trump’s administration has transformed the federal government to help “corporations as they screw the American people over.”

“He literally hired the richest man in the world to take a chain saw to the basic services that Minnesotans rely on to build better lives,” Walz said.

From the specter of Medicaid cuts to the cancelling of international students’ visas, he criticized Trump as a wannabe king who has “chosen to tear up the values that once made America the shining light of the world.”

“Now, in this land of the free and home of the brave, we have university students being swept up, shoved into unmarked vans, and fathers being tossed into Salvadoran gulags without a hint of due process,” Walz said, in a remark that drew boos from some Republican lawmakers.

He lamented the possibility of federal Medicaid spending cuts, which could shift costs to states and worsen Minnesota’s budget outlook.

Even as he acknowledged Minnesota’s budget challenges, Walz ticked off a number of accomplishments he said are in keeping with people’s desire for “security, opportunity [and] freedom.”

Minnesota’s child tax credit is expected to slash the child poverty rate, he said. The state has invested in a free school meals program for all Minnesota children, aggressively expanded labor rights and created a paid family and medical leave program, among other things.

“The truth is,” Walz said, “all of America would like to have what we have.”

As Walz negotiates a budget deal with the Minnesota Legislature, he’s trying to draw a contrast with Washington. He said he believes lawmakers can unify despite differing opinions.

“I believe we can show people, folks across the nation who are watching, that we can still work together to improve lives,” Walz said.

Legislative leaders reacted to the governor’s speech in separate news conferences Wednesday night.

House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said she was happy to hear Walz’s commitment to reducing state spending. But she criticized him for “finger-pointing to Washington,” saying it doesn’t solve the state’s problems.

Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, said Walz’s call for bipartisanship is “two years too late,” noting that the governor and DFLers shut Republicans out when they controlled state government in 2023.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, called Walz’s speech “rousing” and “purposeful.” She said she appreciated Walz’s candor about his concerns with the Trump administration.

House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, said she thought Walz effectively conveyed his feelings about Trump while committing to work with Minnesota Republicans.

“I think you can’t be alive and an American today and not say something about Donald Trump and the chaos that we’re seeing from Washington, D.C.,” Hortman said.