Tim Walz admits he 'misspoke' about Tiananmen Square during live VP debate

“I’ve not been perfect and I’m a knucklehead at times,” Walz admits after clarifying his Tiananmen Square statements.

During a live television debate, US Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz admitted that he "misspoke" when he claimed he was in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. 

Walz, who is Kamala Harris’ running mate, was questioned by the debate moderator about his repeated statements over the years that he was in Hong Kong as Chinese forces crushed pro-democracy protests, when in reality, he was in Nebraska at the time.

“I’ve not been perfect and I’m a knucklehead at times,” Walz said, acknowledging his mistake. The debate took place in New York City, where Walz was pressed on why he had made these claims. 

Walz explained that he sometimes gets "caught up in the rhetoric," and added, "All I said on this was, I got there that summer and misspoke on this, so I will just - that's what I've said." 

While Walz initially claimed he was in Hong Kong a month before the Tiananmen Square massacre, records show he did not arrive in China until August of that year. 

This is not the first time Walz has been fact-checked during this campaign cycle. He recently revised the number of times he has visited China, from "about 30 times" to "closer to 15."

Additionally, the Harris-Walz campaign has had to clarify other statements made by the Minnesota governor. 

In 2018, Walz spoke about "weapons of war that I carried in war" while serving in the National Guard, despite never serving in combat. Similarly, he and his wife initially claimed they started their family through IVF, but later clarified they had used intrauterine insemination instead.