Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz falsely stated that he was in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, when in fact, he was in Nebraska at the time. The discrepancy was first highlighted by Minnesota Public Radio's APM Reports, adding to a history of Walz exaggerating elements of his resume.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that Walz’s claim about being in Hong Kong during a major historical event has been called into question due to conflicting reports about his whereabouts in May and June of 1989.
Walz made the claim during a May 2014 hearing, recounting how he was in Hong Kong before moving to teach high school in Foshan, Guangdong.
He stated that he remembered the train station in Hong Kong and the reactions of Europeans around him following the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. However, local news reports from 1989 place him in Nebraska during that period.
Contemporary records show that Walz was actually touring a National Guard storeroom in Alliance, Nebraska, in May 1989. His departure for China did not occur until August 1989, two months after the massacre. This directly contradicts his account of being in Hong Kong during the historic event.
According to Minnesota Public Radio, Walz’s campaign could not provide any documentation to support his claim that he was present in Hong Kong at the time of the Tiananmen Square uprising. Despite the significant nature of the claim, there has been no concrete evidence presented to verify his statement.
Walz’s false claim about his presence in Hong Kong is not the first instance of him exaggerating his resume. He has also inaccurately claimed to be a "retired command sergeant major" and overstated his progress toward earning a doctorate degree.
Another example of Walz exaggerating his background is his claim to have traveled to China 30 times. His campaign later admitted that the number of trips was closer to 15. This pattern of embellishing his experiences has raised concerns about the credibility of his broader public statements.
The New York Times and other media outlets repeated Walz’s inaccurate claims about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre without scrutiny. In some cases, the claim was presented as a notable part of his personal and professional narrative.
In one instance, the Times wrote that Walz was "in Hong Kong, just across the Chinese border, when People’s Liberation Army tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square to crush pro-democracy protests." The lack of verification in reporting led to the widespread dissemination of an incorrect version of Walz’s personal history.
Although Walz’s claim of being in Hong Kong during the massacre has been debunked, he has maintained that the events of 1989 had a profound impact on him. He has spoken about how the massacre influenced his outlook as a young man and left a lasting impression on his life.
"I was just going to teach high school in Foshan in Guangdong, and was in Hong Kong in May of ‘89," Walz said, recounting the events. He added that the atmosphere at the time, especially among Europeans, was tense, with many being upset that anyone would continue with plans to enter China following the crackdown.
Walz’s connection to the Tiananmen Square massacre extends to his personal life. He and his wife, Gwen, got married on the fifth anniversary of the massacre. According to Gwen, Walz chose the date intentionally, saying he wanted it to be a day he would always remember.
Despite the significance he placed on the date, Walz’s statements about being in Hong Kong during the events have been proven false. Reports confirm that he did not depart for China until August 1989, months after the massacre took place.
Tim Walz’s false claims about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre have drawn attention to a broader pattern of exaggeration in his resume. From inflating his military rank to overstating his travel history, these discrepancies raise questions about the accuracy of his self-presentation.
Despite the debunked claims, Walz has maintained that the events of 1989 had a lasting impact on him. However, his inability to provide documentation to support his statements, combined with conflicting local reports from the time, casts doubt on his version of the story.
Walz’s history of resume embellishments highlights the importance of accountability in political leadership, as well as the need for media outlets to verify claims before repeating them to the public.
