Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is facing renewed backlash after comparing a federal immigration enforcement operation to Anne Frank’s experience hiding during the Holocaust — the latest controversy in what critics describe as a years-long pattern of far-left rhetoric invoking Nazi imagery, accusations of fascism, and aggressive political language.
Walz’s remarks span multiple years and controversies, including the 2020 Minneapolis riots, immigration enforcement clashes, repeated Nazi and “Gestapo” analogies, and Holocaust-related comparisons made in 2025 and 2026.
Critics argue Walz has repeatedly used extreme historical analogies to describe political opponents, federal law enforcement, and Republican leadership, drawing condemnation from lawmakers, federal officials, religious institutions, and Jewish organizations. Walz, for his part, has defended his remarks as forceful opposition to federal policy and what he views as threats to civil liberties.
The Anne Frank comparison is not an isolated incident.
Over the past several years, Walz has faced scrutiny for a series of statements that critics say escalate political tensions and undermine confidence in law enforcement, even as he has publicly called for unity and bipartisan cooperation in other settings.
While Walz emphasized bipartisan problem-solving during his 2025 State of the State address amid a projected budget deficit, critics point to multiple past statements they say conflict with that message.
Below are several documented examples that have fueled the backlash.
“Tim Walz Allowed Rioters to Burn Down Minneapolis”
During the 2020 unrest following the death of George Floyd, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced criticism for delaying the activation of the Minnesota National Guard as riots spread across Minneapolis and other parts of the state.
Violence escalated on May 26 and 27, with widespread looting, arson, and property destruction. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey requested National Guard assistance on the evening of May 27. Walz did not issue the executive order deploying the Guard until the afternoon of May 28 — a delay of roughly 20 hours.
A Republican-led legislative review later criticized both Walz and Frey for the delayed response, concluding that the lack of timely coordination allowed unrest to intensify. Contemporary estimates put statewide property damage at approximately $500 million, with more than 1,500 buildings damaged or destroyed.
Walz defended the timing of the deployment, saying additional coordination and formal requests were required before Guard units could be mobilized.
JD Vance, now Vice President, later summarized that criticism bluntly:
“Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020.”
Walz Silent After DNR Employee’s “Better Shot” Post on Trump Assassination Attempt
Following the July 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources employee posted on social media, “Too bad they weren’t a better shot.”
The post drew swift backlash from lawmakers. More than 50 Minnesota state legislators signed letters urging Gov. Tim Walz to publicly condemn the remark and take disciplinary action against the employee.
Walz did not issue a public statement addressing the post. His office referred inquiries to the Department of Natural Resources, which condemned the comment as “reprehensible” and said the matter was under review.
Republican lawmakers criticized Walz’s silence, arguing that his failure to publicly address the incident reflected tolerance for rhetoric appearing to celebrate political violence.
Walz Accuses Fascists and Nazis of “Stealing” the Country
Walz drew backlash in February 2025 for stating that “our country is being stolen by fascists and Nazis” during a private event, reported CBS News.
Minnesota Senate Republicans demanded an apology, claiming it likened the GOP to historical atrocities and trivialized the Holocaust. Walz clarified that he targeted actual neo-Nazis, not Republicans broadly, but GOP leaders like Sen. Julia Coleman called it “reckless” and divisive.
This echoed earlier comments where Walz described Trump’s policies as “fascist.”
Walz Labels ICE “Trump’s Modern-Day Gestapo”
In a May 2025 commencement speech at the University of Minnesota Law School, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as “Donald Trump’s modern-day Gestapo,” accusing agents of “scooping folks up off the streets” in unmarked vans.
The Department of Homeland Security condemned the remarks as “sickening” and said such rhetoric coincided with a reported 413% increase in assaults on ICE officers, according to DHS statements at the time.
In subsequent briefings, DHS reported that ICE officers have experienced an 8,000% surge in death threats and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults, figures the department attributed to the repeated vilification and demonization of federal law enforcement by sanctuary politicians — as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“Make no mistake, threatening rhetoric and this unprecedented violence against our law enforcement is incited by sanctuary politicians through their repeated vilification and demonization of law enforcement. Comparing ICE day in and day out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
In a separate statement reported by Fox 9 in May 2025, McLaughlin added, “While politicians like Walz fight to protect criminal illegal aliens, our ICE officers will continue putting their lives and safety on the line to arrest murderers, kidnappers, and pedophiles that were let into our country by the previous administration’s open border policies.”
“Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz smeared ICE officers as a ‘threat’ to the public, called ICE ‘reckless,’ suggested the state is at “war” with federal officers and “under attack” by ICE, and smeared ICE as the ‘modern-day Gestapo.'”
Walz Calls for Democrats to “Be Meaner” and “Bully the Sh*t Out of” Trump
In early June 2025, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz escalated his rhetoric against President Donald Trump during a speech to Democratic activists, calling Trump a “wannabe dictator” and a bully while urging Democrats to respond aggressively.
“Well, maybe it’s time for us to be a little meaner. Maybe it’s time for us to be a little more fierce,” Walz said. “Because we have to ferociously push back on this.”
Walz went on to argue that political opponents should be treated as bullies, adding that when it comes to Trump, Democrats should “bully the sh*t out of him back.”
The remarks drew criticism from commentators across the political spectrum. Television host Dr. Phil addressed the comments on his show The Real Story, warning that rhetoric encouraging bullying from political leaders degrades public discourse.
“There’s no place for any of this rhetoric from our political leaders. Not on the left, not on the right, it doesn’t matter,” Dr. Phil said. “It’s about modeling decency. Encouraging bullying from the top sends a lethal message.”
Weeks later, Minnesota was shaken by the June 14, 2025 shootings carried out by Vance Boelter, who killed House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounded State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive for the attack.
Boelter had previously been appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in 2019, including during Walz’s administration. Investigators later said “No Kings” flyers opposing President Donald Trump were found in his vehicle.
Following the shootings, Walz condemned political violence and called for unity. Critics have since continued to point to his earlier calls for Democrats to “be meaner” and to “bully” political opponents as rhetoric they argue reflects a broader breakdown in political discourse.
Walz Compares Trump Immigration Enforcement to Anne Frank’s Hiding
Most recently, Gov. Tim Walz drew backlash shortly before International Holocaust Remembrance Day after comparing a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis under President Donald Trump to the experience of Anne Frank hiding during the Nazi occupation, as The Dallas Express reported.
At a press conference, Walz said, “We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside. Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota.”
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum condemned the comparison in a statement posted January 26, 2026, emphasizing that Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish and warning against the use of Holocaust imagery for contemporary political analogies.
Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges. pic.twitter.com/VVg0Uy7kjR
— US Holocaust Museum (@HolocaustMuseum) January 26, 2026
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun called the remarks “historically illiterate and antisemitic,” while Minnesota GOP Chair Alex Plechash labeled them “offensive, historically indefensible, and morally reckless,” tying it to Walz’s prior “Gestapo” rhetoric about ICE.
Other Republican figures described the remarks as “dangerous, disgusting, and profoundly irresponsible,” arguing they trivialize the murder of six million Jews and portray federal law enforcement agents as Nazis.
Critics say the episodes outlined above reflect a consistent pattern in which Gov. Tim Walz has relied on extreme historical analogies and aggressive political language — including references to Nazis, fascism, and the Holocaust — that they argue has intensified political tensions and undermined confidence in law enforcement.
Walz has defended his rhetoric as necessary opposition to federal policy and what he views as threats to civil liberties. His critics, however, contend the language crosses historical and moral boundaries and has drawn repeated condemnation from federal officials, religious leaders, and political opponents.
As debates over immigration enforcement, public safety, and political rhetoric continue, Walz’s remarks remain a focal point in broader questions about leadership, accountability, and the tone set by elected officials during periods of heightened national tension.
