Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday that individuals have driven past his residence and shouted insults at him after President Donald Trump used the same term in a recent Truth Social post.
Walz made the remarks during a budget meeting while discussing concerns about the reaction to the November comments.
Trump wrote on Nov. 27 that Walz was “seriously retarded” for failing to stop alleged Somali crime in Minnesota after a welfare fraud scandal surfaced. Walz told attendees at the meeting that he had not seen Republicans condemn the language used by the president.
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“I’d never seen this before. People driving by my house and using the R-word in front of people. This is shameful. And I have yet to see an elected official, a Republican elected official, say, ‘You’re right. That’s shameful. He should not say it.’ So, look, I’m worried,” Walz said.
“We know how these things go. They start with taunts, they turn to violence. So, deeply concerned.”
Tim Walz says people are driving by his house calling him ‘retarded.’
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 4, 2025
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Walz also highlighted what he described as the state’s financial position.
“The good news here in Minnesota is a budget that works. Smart budgeting over the last few years that led us to a solid position,” he said.
“We will tackle crime, whether it’s drug crime, whether it’s fraud crime, and we will do it based on the individual who commits it, not a generalization to a group of people.”
The governor addressed the fraud scandal in a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” where he redirected blame amid reports that more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds had been stolen through various state programs.
Walz said during the interview that Minnesota’s Somali community should not be targeted in public commentary about the cases.
“I will note, it’s not just Somalis. Minnesota is a generous state. Minnesota is a prosperous state, a well-run state,” Walz said.
“We’re AAA-bond rated. But that attracts criminals.”
Tim Walz is asked about the $1B Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota.
After taking zero responsibility, he attempts to shift blame to Trump.
“There’s a big difference between fraud and corruption. And corruption is something he knows about.” pic.twitter.com/EgQc88EJxH
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) November 30, 2025
Reports have shown that individuals involved in the federal fraud cases include members of Minnesota’s Somali community.
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City Journal reported on Nov. 20 that some of the stolen funds were routed to the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, citing counterterrorism sources.
The group is affiliated with Al Qaeda and has been responsible for attacks that killed Americans. Authorities prevented an attempted 9/11-style plot by an Al-Shabaab operative, who was later convicted in November 2024.
The scale of fraud has drawn criticism from government employees.
A coalition of Minnesota Department of Human Services workers said in a Saturday post on X that the governor “is 100% responsible for massive fraud” in the state.
The group alleged that Walz “systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports.”
Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response. Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression,… https://t.co/cEtbnuKmgn
— Minnesota Staff Fraud Reporting Commentary (@Minnesota_DHS) November 30, 2025
The governor has continued to defend the state’s broader financial management while facing questions about oversight failures in multiple programs.
Further legislative discussions are expected as state agencies respond to findings from federal and local investigations and as lawmakers evaluate the effectiveness of current monitoring systems.
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