evidence: Audio shows Trump praised Walz in 2020 for handling of riots after George Floyd's death Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers have been assailing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, over his handling of the rioting in his state in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020 — but in a phone call with governors that included Walz, then-President Trump praised his handling of the situation and said he was "very happy" with it. [...] Asked for comment about Trump's earlier remarks, his campaign press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said in a statement Wednesday: "Governor Walz allowed Minneapolis to burn for days, despite President Trump's offer to deploy soldiers and cries for help from the liberal Mayor of Minneapolis. In this daily briefing phone call with Governors on June 1, days after the riots began, President Trump acknowledged Governor Walz for FINALLY taking action to deploy the National Guard to end the violence in the city."