Trump was 'very happy' with Walz's handling of George Floyd protests in 2020: Audio

In the hours aft Vice President Kamala Harris announced Gov. Tim Walz arsenic her moving mate, allies of erstwhile President Donald Trump rushed to denigrate the Minnesota Democrat, seizing connected disapproval of his handling of the riots successful the aftermath of George Floyd's execution successful May 2020.

"He allowed rioters to pain down the streets of Minneapolis," Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican campaigner for vice president, said Tuesday.

But astatine the time, Trump expressed enactment for Walz's handling of the protests, according to a signaling of a telephone telephone obtained by ABC News -- telling a radical of governors that Walz "dominated," and praising his enactment arsenic an illustration for different states to follow.

"I cognize Gov. Walz is connected the phone, and we spoke, and I afloat hold with the mode helium handled it the past mates of days," Trump told a radical of governors connected June 1, 2020, according to a signaling of the call, successful which helium besides called Walz an "excellent guy."

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks successful the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, May 28, 2020, successful Washington.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

"I was precise blessed with the past mates of days, Tim," Trump continued. "You called up large numbers and the large numbers knocked them retired truthful accelerated it was similar bowling pins."

Trump besides suggested connected the telephone that it was his encouragement that sparked Walz to telephone successful the National Guard: "I said, you got to usage the National Guard successful large numbers," Trump said. A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz run said Wednesday that was untrue.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said Trump lauded Walz lone aft the politician heeded his proposal to enlist enactment from the National Guard.

"Governor Walz allowed Minneapolis to pain for days, contempt President Trump's connection to deploy soldiers and cries for assistance from the wide Mayor of Minneapolis," Leavitt said successful a connection to ABC News. "In this regular briefing telephone telephone with Governors connected June 1, days aft the riots began, President Trump acknowledged Governor Walz for FINALLY taking enactment to deploy the National Guard to extremity the unit successful the city."

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 2nd from right, listens arsenic creator Seitu Jones, right, talks astir his stencil of George Floyd, Monday, June 8, 2020, successful St. Paul, Minn.

Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, Pool

Trump's contemporaneous support of Walz's decision-making successful the aftermath of George Floyd's execution undermines 1 of Republicans' astir vocal lines of onslaught against the vice statesmanlike nominee. Critics person accused Walz of stalling the mobilization of the National Guard to quell rioters who acceptable occurrence to 1,500 buildings, caused immoderate $500 cardinal successful spot damage, and were linked to astatine slightest 3 deaths.

Walz, himself a 24-year seasoned of the National Guard, yet summoned much than 7,000 guardsmen to the Twin Cities. But that determination came 18 hours aft Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey initially asked the politician to activate subject personnel.

"This hesitation outgo Minnesotans their lives, communities, and livelihoods," according to an investigative study compiled by Republicans successful the authorities Senate.

At the time, Walz condemned the Republicans' study -- which was published conscionable weeks earlier his 2022 reelection -- arsenic a governmental deed occupation that was "unhelpful." More recently, Walz brushed speech scrutiny of his handling of the protests.

"It is what it is," helium precocious told reporters. "And I simply judge that we effort to bash the champion we can."

Inside the aftermath

In the days aft the execution of George Floyd, arsenic agitators acceptable fires and laid siege to a constabulary precinct, metropolis officials scrambled to incorporate the unrest.

Floyd, a Black man, was killed by Officer Derek Chauvin connected Monday, May 25, 2020. By Wednesday evening, the city's constabulary "had expended each disposable resources," according to a transcript of the written petition for the National Guard prepared by constabulary officials.

At 6:29 p.m. that Wednesday, Frey called Walz to petition the National Guard, helium aboriginal told the Star-Tribune. That verbal connection was followed up hours later, astatine 9:11 p.m., with a written petition from metropolis constabulary officials. A transcript of the written petition obtained by authorities senators indicated that the metropolis would request 600 guardsmen to assistance with country security, proscription assistance and logistical support.

That evening, Frey's bureau crafted a draught property merchandise announcing that the National Guard had been called in, but did not disseminate it, according to records released by the metropolis and reported by section outlets. Instead, metropolis aides would person to hold different 15 hours earlier Walz would formally mobilize the National Guard.

FILE - In this May 28, 2020, record photo, a protester carries a American emblem upside down, a motion of distress, adjacent to a burning gathering successful Minneapolis.

AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File

In substance messages released by the city, a subordinate of the mayor's unit asked, "What's happening? As acold arsenic the Guard," astir 8:00 p.m. connected Wednesday night. Another staffer replied that Frey "said Walz was hesitating."

"According to Minneapolis officials, the governor's bureau responded that they would see the request, but the metropolis did not person immoderate follow-up until overmuch later," according to an after-action study commissioned by the state.

On Thursday afternoon, Walz imposed a curfew connected metropolis residents and formally mobilized the National Guard. The archetypal troops arrived wrong hours, and by that weekend, the unrest had mostly been quelled.

On Friday, Walz told reporters helium had spoken with Trump the time earlier and that Trump had "pledged his enactment successful presumption of thing we request successful presumption of supplies to get to us."

Days later, connected the June 1 telephone telephone with governors, Walz thanked Trump and accepted his praise earlier making comments of his ain -- expressing enactment for peaceful protesters and suggesting that governors who mightiness different hesitate to telephone successful the National Guard could bash truthful delicately, and framework them arsenic "not an occupying force," but alternatively arsenic "neighbors, teachers, concern owners."

"That's a truly effectual method," Walz said.

Trump agreed, but added his ain rotation connected the relation of guardsmen.

"It got truthful atrocious a fewer nights agone that the radical wouldn't person minded an occupying force," Trump said. "I privation we had an occupying unit successful there."

An 'unproductive' spat

A brace of after-action reports commissioned by the metropolis and authorities cited backstage miscommunications and nationalist disputes betwixt Walz and Frey arsenic impediments to efficaciously handling the protests. At 1 point, Walz characterized the city's effect arsenic an "abject failure."

"Several interviewees blamed the Mayor and Governor for their nationalist disagreements astir the effect to the protests and expressed that this was unproductive," according to the study commissioned by the city, which was released successful March 2022.

The state-commissioned study arrived astatine a akin conclusion: "Other authorities officials assertion that the petition became analyzable erstwhile elected officials became progressive (i.e., the Minneapolis mayor, the governor's office)."

FILE - A constabulary serviceman covers protesters who person been detained pending apprehension connected South Washington Street successful Minneapolis, May 31, 2020.

AP Photo/John Minchillo, File

Another complicating factor, those after-action reports indicated, was the nonaccomplishment of metropolis officials to articulate their needs. The requests made connected May 27 "initially lacked clarity and that much accusation and clip was needed for [the state's exigency absorption office] to make the indispensable details of the ngo to activate the Minnesota Guard," 1 study said.

For his part, Walz initially argued that mobilizing thousands of National Guardsmen requires time.

"The mean idiosyncratic possibly assumes that there's soldiers waiting successful helicopters to driblet successful similar they bash successful movies," Walz said that Tuesday, May 26. "Actually, they're set teachers and tiny concern owners. They're folks moving successful a store successful Fergus Falls who get a telephone that says you've got 12 hours to study to your armory."

Days later, however, Walz told a newsman that "if the contented was that the authorities should person moved faster, that is connected me."

Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, the manager of the Minnesota National Guard astatine the time, aboriginal testified earlier authorities senators that, had the National Guard been deployed sooner, the protests mightiness not person been truthful destructive.

"If we had done things otherwise connected Tuesday, arsenic it relates to numbers, arsenic it relates to tactics, could we person avoided immoderate of this? My unprofessional sentiment arsenic it relates to instrumentality enforcement is 'yes,'" Jensen said. "My nonrecreational subject sentiment is 'yes.'"