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A Minnesota enterprise proprietor who was compelled to close his doorways after struggling monetary devastation from the coronavirus pandemic and crime issued a scathing rebuke of Vice President Kamala Harris’ operating mate, Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., calling him an “evil person” for his dealing with of COVID-19.
“Walz is absolutely a total and complete failure,” Greg Urban stated Wednesday on “America Reports.” “He’s an incredibly divisive leader. He shut down the state for almost two years. Anybody that would go against his rules, so much as opening a coffee shop, would end up in jail for long periods of time.”
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Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is welcomed by Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, earlier than she delivers remarks at a marketing campaign occasion, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wisc. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Urban, the proprietor of Wild Greg’s Saloon, stated he was compelled to shutter his Minneapolis bar when it couldn’t rebound after COVID-19 lockdowns eased.
Urban’s areas in Austin, Texas; Pensacola, Fla.; and Lakeland, Fla., bounced again comparatively shortly, however “there was no road map ahead” for Minneapolis, he informed Fox News’ John Roberts.
“Minneapolis was a failed city, and it really hasn’t gotten any better. We were losing money every single month, where every other city came back very quickly from COVID, and you can only lose money so many months in a row as a business owner before you have to pull the pin,” he stated.
In his first time period as governor, Walz oversaw Minnesota’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and favored heavy-handed restrictions, together with lockdowns and masks mandates. Walz’s administration additionally arrange a hotline to report residents who violated COVID-19 mandates, as FRESH 9 Minneapolis reported on the time.
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“Walz was a complete dictator through that whole period. Really an evil person, more than a dictator,” Urban stated. “He actually made it illegal for families to gather for Christmas and Thanksgiving. And so people, then, if they saw their neighbor carrying out a turkey leg on Thanksgiving, they could call the tip line and Walz could dispatch his COVID police to come take them to jail.”
Walz’s dealing with of the pandemic got here beneath scrutiny after Harris, the Democratic nominee, named him her operating mate within the 2024 election. Critics are additionally pointing to Walz’s response to the Minneapolis Black Lives Matter riots after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, calling it a failure and low level of his first time period as governor.
Walz deployed the National Guard to cease the violence, which included the torching of a police station. But GOP lawmakers have stated each the governor and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have been too sluggish to behave.
A constructing goes up in flames throughout George Floyd riots in Minneapolis. (Getty Images)
“He stood by. He had every resource to end the riots very quickly, and he chose not to. He stood by. He let the burning, the looting, the protesting go for several days, and it was just a terrible thing for this city, and the city still hasn’t recovered.”
Urban stated patrons have been afraid to come back downtown, additional laying into Walz for letting rioters and criminals run rampant.
“They were scared because of the crime. A lot of people were getting mugged,” he stated. “Their cars stolen, cars broken into, there were no police. You call the police, and unless there is a murder in progress, they might not even respond, or [it could] take an hour or two. It was a very troubling time, and Tim Walz refused to provide any state resources, state police, things other cities — such as maybe Austin, Texas, for example — had some help from the state. Here in Minnesota, Tim Walz provided no leadership to help Minneapolis.”
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He said he heard people compare Walz to Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., but he disagreed with the simplified characterization.
“I heard the remark yesterday that Walz is Newsom with much less hair and carrying flannel. The actuality is, Walz, I believe, is extra radical left then Gavin Newsom,” Urban said. “In a state of 5 million folks, I believe it slides beneath the radar slightly bit, however Tim Walz was an absolute dictator.”
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Urban also called out Walz for a comment he made at Tuesday’s rally with Harris on the topic of personal freedoms.
“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their private selections that they make. Even if we would not make the identical alternative for ourselves, there’s a golden rule: Mind your personal rattling enterprise,” Walz told the crowd.
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Urban said Walz should have taken some of his own advice.
“The thought of ‘mind your own damn business’ certain didn’t occur with him,” he said.
Walz’s office did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
