Tim Walz’s brother donated to Trump in 2016. Now he’s ‘100% opposed’ to his sibling’s political ideology

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Back in 2016, Jeff Walz donated to Donald Trump’s campaign.

Now, eight years on, the 67-year-old’s brother Tim Walz is taking on the former president having joined Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic party’s 2024 ticket.

And Jeff Walz appears to be far from happy with his sibling’s political aspirations.

In Facebook posts, first seen and published by The New York Post, Jeff Walz said that he’s “100% opposed” to his sibling’s political ideology” and even told other social media users that he is “not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.”

“I’m 100% opposed to all his ideology,” he wrote in a post on Friday evening about the Minnesota governor.

Jeff Walz even went as far as to hint that he would be open to publicly endorsing Trump in the presidential race.

When a fellow Facebook account urged him to “get on stage with President Trump and endorse him,” Jeff responded: “I’ve thought long and hard about doing something like that! I’m torn between that and just keeping my family out of it.”

He added: “The stories I could tell. Not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.”

The Independent has reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment.

The Minnesota governor, 60, and his older brother, 67, are estranged and have not spoken in eight years, according to the Post.

They also have a sister Sandy Dietrich, 63, and a late brother Craig Walz who died aged 44 when he was struck by a falling tree in a tragic accident in 2016.

The reason for the rift between the two surviving brothers is unclear but what is evident is that they clearly hold opposing political beliefs.

For at least two decades, Tim Walz has been active in the Democratic party – first volunteering for John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004, before serving 12 years in Congress, becoming Minnesota governor in 2018 and, eventually, as of last month, becoming the Democratic party’s VP pick.

Jeff Walz, by contrast, is a registered Republican who lives in the Florida Panhandle and who donated $20 to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Back on March 30 2023 – the day Trump was indicted on criminal charges for the first time in his hush money case in New York – Jeff Walz appeared to parrot the former president’s rhetoric in a not-so-cryptic Facebook post.

“We’ve just become a third world banana republic,” he wrote in the post, which was first resurfaced by right-wing activist Laura Loomer.

There are some similarities however.

Like his brother, Jeff Walz also used to work at a school, being an assistant principal at a middle school in Citrus County, Florida, in the early 2000s.

Both brothers have also had brushes with the law. While Tim Walz pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving over a 2005 drunk driving arrest, his older brother pleaded guilty to retail theft for allegedly stealing from a Walmart store in 2001,The Tampa Bay Times reported.

Though the vice presidential candidate might be lacking in support from his older brother, his other family members have rallied round since he was selected to join Harris on the ticket.

Tim’s wife Gwen has become a regular fixture on the campaign trail, and their children Hope and Gus joined their father at the Democratic National Convention.

In a heartwarming moment during his father’s keynote address, an emotional Gus leaped to his feet and proudly shouted: “That’s my dad!”