Walz says Trump administration is ghosting states, leaving government vulnerable in crisis

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks with Minnesota Reformer Editor in Chief Patrick Coolican in front of States Newsroom leaders and reporters Thursday, June 5, 2025 at the Royal Sonesta in downtown Minneapolis. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday said that communication between states and the federal government under the second Trump administration “is nonexistent,” opening the door to catastrophe in the case of a natural disaster or other emergency.

Walz, during an interview with Reformer editor Patrick Coolican at a States Newsroom conference in Minneapolis, said that the Trump administration is unprepared for the next disaster — like another global pandemic — and that leaves states particularly vulnerable.

“The flow of information has been disrupted between the states and the federal government, and we just can’t get answers … No one is allowed to talk to us, and that’s really problematic,” Walz said.

The Minnesota governor said the silence from the feds differs from the first Trump administration. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz said then-Vice President Mike Pence would call him every few weeks to check in to see what he needed. He said he sensed Pence would call in “under the radar, so he didn’t draw anybody’s attention.”

“There were a lot of great people inside the first Trump administration that, in spite of the president, were doing good work,” Walz said.

Walz said one of his biggest fears is a cybersecurity attack. The Trump administration has cut millions of dollars for several cyber security initiatives and slashed jobs from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which helps protect the nation’s critical infrastructure.

Walz discussed the role of the states in opposing the Trump administration’s agenda — particularly on immigration — and the Democratic Party’s current malaise.

Minnesota is increasingly reliant on immigrants, who are needed to fill jobs being vacated by an aging workforce. “There’s not a cow in Minnesota that’s not being milked by an immigrant,” he said. Walz said Minnesota would not be commandeered into enforcing immigration law, which he said is a federal duty.

Walz repeated a spiel he’s given around the country, including at a recent Democratic Party event in South Carolina, which has traditionally been early on the presidential primary calendar, fueling speculation that he is considering a presidential run.

He said he’s not running, but merely using his megaphone to help fill a vacuum left by a Democratic Party in disarray.

The governor urged Democrats to figure out how to become the party of the working class again and said Democrats need to “fill all the lanes” in the media environment to reach voters.

“I still have come to the conclusion that Trump fills so much space that you’ve got to fill all these new spaces. Do I think if we would have gone on, you know, Joe Rogan, would we have won? I doubt that, but I also don’t think it hurts,” Walz said. “If your message is good, you want to get out there.”

Walz backed the 2005-06 idea of former DNC Chair Howard Dean and his “50 State Project,” which sought to reach voters in areas not traditionally associated with Democrats.

“We’re probably never going to win Idaho, but … you got to be out there for it,” Walz said.

Walz said Democrats should rotate where they hold the early primary to reach more voters, which may not endear him to Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the traditional early states that have long jealously guarded their first in the nation status.

When asked which state should be the first to hold the primary, Walz deadpanned “Minnesota.”

Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com.