Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday expressed gratitude to the family of Democrat rival Tim Walz after a photo showing them supporting the Republican presidential nominee spread online.
The viral image showed eight members of the Walz family wearing “Nebraska Walz’s for Trump” shirts with a “Take America Back” banner in the background.
“It is a Great Honor to have your Endorsement,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “I look forward to meeting you soon!”
The photo was shared earlier in the day by former Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles W. Herbster.
“Tim Walz’s family back in Nebraska wants you to know something,” Herbster wrote in the caption.
NTD News spoke with Rod Edwards, a spokesman for Herbster, who confirmed the authenticity of the image. The photo, according to Edwards, shows family members from the paternal side of the Walz family, specifically descendants of Francis Walz, who was brother of Tim Walz’s grandfather.
The family also confirmed in a statement that the picture is authentic.
“Shortly after Governor Tim Walz was named the Democrat Party Vice Presidential nominee, our family had a get-together. We had t-shirts made to show support for President Trump and J.D. Vance and took a group picture. That photo was shared with friends, and when we were asked for permission to post the picture, we agreed,” the written statement said.
“The picture is real. The shirts are real. We are the Nebraska Walz family and we are related to Gov. Tim Walz, our grandfathers were brothers. The message on the shirts speaks for itself, ‘Nebraska Walzs for Trump.’”
Sandy Dietrich, Walz’s sister, didn’t recognize the people in the photo but said that she suspected they were distant cousins.
“We weren’t close with them. We didn’t know them,” Dietrich said. She further declined to comment on their opposition to her brother.
Walz Family and Trump Support
Political differences among the Walz family first emerged when old social media posts by Walz’s older brother, Jeff, reemerged and circulated online. He expressed opposition to his brother’s political beliefs and appeared to show support for the 45th president.
The older Walz said in a Facebook post that he had not spoken to his brother in eight years and that he was “100% opposed to his ideology.” He also revealed that his family was not made aware that Tim Walz was chosen as Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’s VP pick.
In another post on March 30, 2023, the older Walz wrote on Facebook, “We’ve just become a third world banana republic,” in an apparent response to Trump’s indictment in the Stormy Daniels case.
Jeff Walz has maintained that his past comments were not intended to influence the general public and that he prefers to keep his family out of such matters.
Trump Family and Harris Support
By contrast, some of Trump’s family have endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, including Trump’s nephew, Fred Trump III. He recently said in an interview that his uncle doesn’t care about people who serve in the military. He also wrote a book titled “All in the Family” in which he alleges that he witnessed his uncle using racial slurs.
“Every family has their crazy uncle at the Thanksgiving table. Donald is atomic crazy,” Trump’s nephew said in an interview on The View.
Mary Trump, the niece of the 45th president, wrote in a blog post that Harris is a threat to her uncle in the 2024 election.
“Donald’s worst nightmare’s is coming true—the old, white, racist is being beaten by a young, strong Black woman,” she wrote.
Trump’s niece also authored a book in which she shared stories about her uncle from her childhood. The book explains “how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world’s health, economic security, and social fabric,” according to the official description.
High-Profile Political Family Rifts
This isn’t the first time that differences among families have caused political rifts.
Independent presidential candidate and lifelong Democrat Robert F. Kennedy deviated from his family’s long-standing ties to the party. The son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy recently joined forces with Trump. The major shift prompted five members of the Kennedy family to issue an official statement.
“We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride,” the statement said.
“We believe in Harris and Walz. Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.”
The Obama family has also been divided by political differences.
Along with members of the Walz family, the Kenyan-American half-brother of 44th President Barack Obama also publicly endorsed Trump on Wednesday. The older brother and former president share the same father.
“I am Malik Obama,” he wrote. “I’m a registered Republican and I’m voting for President Donald Trump.”
Obama’s half-brother also voted for Trump in 2016, citing his frustration with the Democratic Party. He even attended one of the presidential debates against Hillary Clinton as Trump’s special guest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.