Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz is facing scrutiny online after his recent comment about “white guy tacos,” which he describes as simply “ground beef and cheese.” This debate sparked when a recipe he shared back in 2022 resurfaced, showing it actually included diced green chilies and taco sauce.
Walz made the taco remark during a YouTube conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris, which has since garnered over a million views. The chat, styled as a fireside discussion, touched on various topics, including politics, music, and of course, food.
On X (formerly Twitter), Walz posted a brief clip from the conversation, which has reached over 4 million views. This attracted numerous comments, especially from those recalling Walz’s Turkey Taco Tot Hotdish recipe—winner of the Minnesota congressional delegation’s hotdish competition in 2016. One user pointed out, “Why did Walz lie about eating ‘white guy tacos’? Just two years ago, he touted his award-winning taco recipe, packed with flavor!”
Earlier this month, Harris announced Walz as her running mate for the 2024 elections, drawing increased attention to his political persona. Recent polling shows Harris performing well against Republican candidate Donald Trump, with a recent Emerson College survey indicating she holds a 4-point lead.
During the video, Walz jokingly refers to his taco creation, prompting Harris to ask, “What does that mean? Like, mayonnaise and tuna? What are you doing?” Walz replies with, “Pretty much ground beef and cheese.” To which Harris quips, “That’s okay. Do you put any flavor in it?” The exchange culminates with her laughter when Walz admits that black pepper is as spicy as things get in Minnesota.
In a past post, Walz shared a photo of his award-winning “Hotdish Off” trophy, boasting about his cooking skills and link to the Turkey Taco Tot Hotdish recipe. Ingredients like “diced mild green chilies” and “medium taco sauce” can be found in the recipe, contrasting his recent claims.
Reactions on social media have ranged from disbelief to outright mockery. “Tim Walz is a d**n liar. If I were still a Minnesotan, I’d be embarrassed,” one user wrote. Another asserted, “What a way to push the ‘white people are bland’ narrative. You’re giving into a pathetic stereotype, Tim.”