Former President Donald Trump expressed gratitude to the family of Democrat rival Tim Walz after a photo showing them supporting the Republican presidential nominee spread online. The viral image showed eight members of the Walz family wearing “Nebraska Walz’s for Trump” shirts with a “Take America Back” banner in the background. Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, “It is a Great Honor to have your Endorsement. I look forward to meeting you soon!” The photo was shared earlier in the day by former Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles W. Herbster.
NTD News spoke with Rod Edwards, a spokesman for Herbster, who confirmed the authenticity of the image. The photo shows family members from the paternal side of the Walz family, specifically descendants of Francis Walz, who was brother of Tim Walz’s grandfather. The family also confirmed in a statement that the picture is authentic.
Sandy Dietrich, Walz’s sister, didn’t recognize the people in the photo but said that she suspected they were distant cousins. Political differences among the Walz family first emerged when old social media posts by Walz’s older brother, Jeff, reemerged and circulated online. He expressed opposition to his brother’s political beliefs and appeared to show support for former President Trump.
By contrast, some members of Trump’s own family have endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris including Fred Trump III who recently said in an interview that his uncle doesn’t care about people who serve in military and wrote a book titled “All in Family” where he alleges witnessing his uncle using racial slurs.
This isn’t first time differences among families have caused political rifts as Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy deviated from his family’s long-standing ties to Democratic party and joined forces with Trump which prompted five members of Kennedy family to issue an official statement expressing their disappointment.
Along with members of Walz’s family Kenyan-American half-brother Malik Obama publicly endorsed Trump on Wednesday stating he is voting for President Donald Trump as he did back in 2016 citing frustration with Democratic Party.