'I'm Not Calling Him': Trump Says He Won't Contact Walz After Hortman Killings

MINNESOTA — President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday he would not call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were injured in what appeared to be targeted attacks over the weekend.

The president, speaking to reporters early Tuesday on Air Force One, said that calling the governor would "waste time." Asked if he had called Walz yet, Trump said the Democratic governor "doesn't have a clue" and is "a mess."

Presidents often reach out to other elected officials, including governors and mayors, at times of tragedy, such as after mass killings or natural disasters, to offer condolences and, if needed, federal assistance.

On the plane, Trump, a Republican, sounded uninterested in reaching out to Walz, who was the vice presidential running mate for 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. During the campaign, Walz often branded Trump and other Republican politicians as "just weird."

"I don't really call him. He's slick — he appointed this guy to a position," Trump said. "I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I'm not calling him. Why would I call him?"

Vance Boelter, the shooter who was taken into custody late Sunday after a two-day manhunt," is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, records show. Friends and former colleagues interviewed by The Associated Press described Boelter as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for Trump.

Walz confirmed to MPR News on Monday that he had not spoken with the president but did talk to Vice President J.D. Vance and was "grateful for that call." Walz also talked to former president Joe Biden and former vice president Kamala Harris, he told the outlet.

"I think I understand where that’s at," he said of Trump's silence, according to MPR. "Vice President Vance assured us, and he delivered, that the FBI would be there as partners with us to get it done. That was what needed to be done. "

Walz also in a social media post Monday thanked Doug Ford, premier of Ontario, for his condolences.

"In times of tragedy, I’m heartened when people of different views and even different nations can rally together around our shared humanity," the governor wrote.

Federal prosecutors charged Boelter with murder and stalking, which could result in a death sentence if convicted. His lead attorney has declined to comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.