Minnesota Republicans demand apology from Gov. Walz over “Nazi” comparison and flag MMB training document

An unnamed Republican state legislator urged Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday to apologize after what the lawmaker described as audio showing the governor comparing Republicans to “Nazis and fascists.” The legislator also said a Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) training document referred to Republicans as “white supremacists” and should be addressed.

The remarks came during a press event where lawmakers called Walz's language “out of line” and said it undermines efforts to build bipartisan cooperation in the 2025 legislative session. “His comments regarding Republicans as Nazis and fascists who are stealing our country is a reference to Republicans winning election, and this is just outrageous,” the legislator said.

The request for an apology was echoed by Sen. Coleman, who said she has spent her career “calling out and fighting antisemitism” and warned that comparisons to the Nazi era diminish the historical atrocity. “I take the weight of governor Walz's words incredibly seriously,” Sen. Coleman said. “At a time when antisemitism is on the rise, we should be focusing on unity and understanding, not reckless comparisons that diminish historical atrocities.”

Lawmakers said the circulation of the audio clip and the reported use of the MMB training material represent a pattern they find troubling. “Beyond the words used by Governor Walz, this is a pattern that's reoccurring through his administration,” the unnamed legislator said, adding that MMB has said it stopped using the training after it was brought to their attention. The legislator said the training had been used "through February 2025."

On the origin of the clip, a lawmaker at the event said coverage indicated the comments were made at a Minnesota Nurses Association event and that the recording was audio from a meeting closed to the press. The location and full context of the clip were not specified at the press event.

Reporters asked whether Republican leaders bear any responsibility for similar rhetoric; the lawmakers at the event said name-calling occurs on both sides but that Walz’s comments — and the MMB document — warranted an apology. The unnamed legislator said the rhetoric is distracting from other priorities, including budget talks and proposals on health insurance. “This distracts from that work. When we start calling each other names… it's hard to build a relationship off of that,” the legislator said.

The legislators also addressed fiscal issues raised by federal developments and state budgeting. At the event they repeated fiscal criticisms of the prior Democratic majority, saying Democrats spent $19,000,000,000 of surplus and raised taxes by $10,000,000,000, and said they expect a $5,100,000,000 deficit two years out; those figures were presented by the speakers and not independently verified during the event. The group also discussed a potential state reinsurance approach and noted an existing 1.75% assessment on insurers, saying details of the governor’s reinsurance concept had not been shared with them.

No formal vote or legislative action was taken at the event. Lawmakers said they have had limited communication with the governor’s office about the comments and the broader agenda and said they have requested further discussion. Sen. Coleman urged “a dialogue that fosters respect rather than division.”

The press event did not produce a formal statement from Governor Walz or MMB at the time of the lawmakers’ remarks; the legislators said MMB had indicated the training material was no longer in use. The lawmakers said they expected the governor to respond publicly and to provide an apology so the Legislature could move on to other business.

The discussion combined concerns about political rhetoric, a state training document, and broader budget and health insurance questions that lawmakers said they plan to pursue in the coming weeks.