Tim Walz’s attempt at connecting with male voters through a pheasant hunting photo op over the weekend fell flat—and then some. Participating in Minnesota’s 12th annual Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener, Walz seemingly forgot the most important tool for a hunting trip: a shotgun. The whole spectacle reeked of desperation, as if Walz thought that posing in hunting gear without actually firing a shot would somehow win over men. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.
The absurdity didn’t go unnoticed. Monica Crowley pointed out the glaring omission of any actual shotguns in sight, and social media wasn’t far behind. It was clear that Walz’s “hunting trip” was more about optics than any serious attempt to bag some pheasants. Meanwhile, his camera crew and staff hovered nearby, making the whole thing look more like a staged PR stunt than a genuine outing. Even MSNBC, of all places, called him out on the charade. That’s when you know it’s bad.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Walz managed to fumble with his own Beretta on camera, struggling to even operate the thing. Shawna Mizelle of CBS posted video clips of the whole ordeal, and Walz’s complaints about his gun not fitting right and the kick hurting his shoulder certainly didn’t help his “man of the people” image. It’s like watching someone try to ride a bike for the first time—cringeworthy, to say the least. The Trump War Room had a field day, mocking Walz for failing to fire a single shot during his supposed “hunting” trip.
Of course, this whole hunting photo op wasn’t about hunting at all. It was about politics. Walz, who’s running as Kamala Harris’s VP pick, is trying to shore up support among male voters, a demographic that isn’t exactly warming to the Harris-Walz ticket. The Trump campaign, smelling the desperation, pointed out that men aren’t likely to back a candidate who supports “common sense” gun control legislation, as Walz has tried to claim in the past.
At the end of the day, Walz’s hunting trip didn’t fool anyone. Instead of looking like a tough, outdoorsy guy who supports the Second Amendment, he came across as a guy who couldn’t figure out how to load his own shotgun. Even MSNBC saw right through it, and when MSNBC isn’t buying your act, you know you’re in trouble.
