How the Trump campaign plans to try to define Tim Walz

CNN —

Donald Trump’s campaign is already setting out to define Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as someone who will move the Democratic presidential ticket to the left – with a key focus on his record, senior Trump campaign advisers and people close to the former president told CNN.

Trump’s team spent the last several days compiling opposition research on Walz, in addition to other leading contenders to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. His advisers say that while they will pull on details from his 12 years in Congress, their goal is to paint Walz — a former teacher and Army National Guard veteran — as someone who has been in lockstep with progressives over the last four years and a key champion of the Biden administration’s policies.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a Biden-Harris campaign and DNC press conference on July 17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Related article Harris decides on Tim Walz as running mate

“She found a 60-year-old White guy who has the same crazy ideas she does,” one of the advisers said. “With both [Harris] and Walz, you’re going to have multiple years of various records to go through, but the bottom line is, where has he been for the last four years? The last four years are what matter most.”

The Trump campaign, which has struggled over the last several weeks to find lines of attack that best work against Harris, said the Walz pick presents a new opportunity for them to reimagine their campaign playbook against her.

Key focal points in their expected attacks include arguing Walz has taken a liberal stance on the border, painting him as anti-gun and anti-cop, tying him to Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, linking him to the Biden administration’s economic policies and questioning his record