Trump tells Fox he once spread word that Tim Walz is 'a good person'

Donald Trump early Wednesday morning gave a preview of his strategy against newly announced vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

Vice president Kamala Harris tapped the Minnesota governor as her running mate, and the former president expressed surprise on "Fox & Friends" about the choice and claimed he called off protesters outside the governor's mansion at Walz's request.

"I would say my reaction is I can't believe it, I never thought this was going to be the one that was picked," Trump said. "I know him a little bit, I helped him very much during the riots because his house was surrounded by people that were waving an American flag – doesn't sound like very bad people. He called me and he was very concerned, very, very concerned that it was going to get out of control."

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Walz called out the National Guard on May 28, 2020, in response to violent protests following the police murder of George Floyd, seven hours before Trump threatened to do so, but his further comments suggest he might be conflating that demonstration with a Jan. 6, 2021, protest of his own election loss.

"Only had one guard, I guess it was at the [governor's] mansion or his house in some form, and he called me and I said, 'What do you want me to do about it?'" Trump said. "I was in the White House. He said, 'If you would put out the word that I'm a good person,' and I did. I put out the word, I said, 'He is a good person, I hope everything is good – everybody put down their flags and took their flags with them.' They took their American flags and MAGA flags and left. It was thousands of people."

Hundreds Trump supporters gathered outside the governor's mansion, as they did at other state capitals, on the same day as the U.S. Capitol riot, and while that demonstration did not turn violent, the event prompted Minnesota State Police to move Walz's teenage son to a safer location, and the governor said law enforcement told him about violent threats to take him or his family "prisoner."

"That was the first time I said, 'Wow, that's very interesting,' and he called me back and he thanked me very much," Trump said on Wednesday. "That's my only thing I ever had to do with him. He's a very, very liberal man and is he a shocking pick, and I'm thrilled. I could not be more thrilled."