Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said Wednesday that he believes President Donald Trump is moving the United States toward authoritarian rule, and suggested that Trump could eventually appear in a military uniform.
Walz made the comments during an interview on MSNBC’s The Briefing, hosted by former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Psaki opened the segment by referencing a comment Walz made in The New Yorker in March, where he discussed the possibility of a “worst-case scenario” under a Trump presidency.
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She asked the governor whether he believed that scenario was already unfolding.
“Let me ask you,” Psaki said.
“You said something in The New Yorker in March I thought was really interesting. I mean, you said we should prepare for the worst-case scenario. I think many of us feel that way. We’re just over 100 days in, and I guess, are we in the worst-case scenario right now or what are you exactly preparing for as governor?”
Walz responded by suggesting that conditions could deteriorate further.
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“No, I think it gets worse,” Walz replied.
“I don’t say that as a pessimist. I say it as a realist. We will win this. We will win it because the Constitution will stay strong. We’re still seeing the courts, while they’re under stress, holding.”
The Democratic governor went on to accuse President Trump of attempting to criminalize political dissent.
“I see Donald Trump, and I said it many months ago that he will eventually try and incarcerate political opponents,” Walz said.
“We saw it—whether, you know, threatening my neighbor and dear friend and a man of perfect character, Tony Evers, next door. To threatening people who don’t fall in line.”
Walz referenced a hypothetical military parade and suggested that President Trump might soon wear military attire as part of an alleged shift toward authoritarianism.
“Look, we’re going to have a military parade for him,” Walz continued.
“I was only half tongue in cheek saying this guy will be in a military uniform before long. He is fully headed towards authoritarianism.”
The governor’s remarks come amid ongoing partisan tension over the direction of the country during Trump’s second term in office.
President Trump, who returned to the White House in January 2025, has faced sustained opposition from several Democratic state officials, including Walz and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, both of whom have been outspoken critics.
Walz’s comments follow a series of statements by Democratic officials and media figures warning about what they describe as threats to democratic norms.
Trump supporters have consistently dismissed those claims as politically motivated.
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