This past Saturday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is running for vice president with the Democrats, faced quite the reception at a football game between the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota. A viral TikTok video shows crowds booing the governor as he arrived, and the footage has since been shared extensively on social media platforms.
Walz was there to cheer on his team, the Golden Gophers, and not the Wolverines. His presence at Michigan’s “Big House” stirred political chatter online, particularly criticism from Republican factions. The Trump War Room account on X (formerly Twitter) captioned the video with a derogatory nickname for Walz associated with a law he passed requiring schools to supply menstrual products, garnering over 380,000 views.
Fox-owned OutKick also shared the footage, emphasizing how “ruthlessly” Michigan fans booed Walz. Despite the negative reception, Walz, a former high school football coach, shared his game day highlights on X, posting clips of his interactions with both Michigan and Minnesota players and coaches, along with a tailgate photo promoting voter registration among students. He later tweeted, “I’ll always be a Minnesota guy. But after meeting some great people at the Big House, I must admit – Michiganders know how to host a good game day.”
In the wake of Walz’s appearance, some Trump supporters drew comparisons to former President Trump’s presence at a game between Alabama and Georgia, where fans welcomed him positively, chanting “USA! USA!” as he mingled and handed out snacks.
Michigan remains a crucial battleground state as election season heats up. Current polls show Vice President Kamala Harris slightly leading Trump, according to various aggregators. The focus now shifts to an upcoming debate on Tuesday between Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, set for 9 p.m. ET in New York City. This debate may be the last major chance for candidates to engage publicly before the election, which is now less than 40 days away.