Walz tells Minnesotans he's 'never felt more motivated,' takes digs at Vance

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) encouraged a crowd of state residents on Friday after his election loss as the Democratic vice presidential nominee. 

“Even in the face of defeat and deep disappointment, I’ve never felt more inspired. I’ve never felt more motivated,” Walz told Minnesotans. “I’ve never felt more fired up for what’s possible in this country.”

Walz pointed out the positives in the campaign to a room filled with family and supporters.

"I've made a lot of new friends. I ate way too much local food, but I can order doughnuts. People, I can order doughnuts," said Walz, taking a shot at Vice President-elect JD Vance, who caught flack for an awkward interaction at a doughnut shop in Georgia.

Walz then went on to note the concerns he heard while traveling the nation on the campaign trail.

“Everywhere I went, without exception, people really wanted the same basic things out of an American life. When I say basic things, I mean things like meaningful work, safe neighborhoods, good schools, affordable quality healthcare,” he said.

Exit polls show President-elect Trump made headway with voters whose top issues were the economy and inflation. Walz promised to work collaboratively to address these concerns throughout the tenure of his governorship.

“Nobody, not the DFL, not Republicans, nobody has a monopoly on good intentions or good ideas,” Walz stated. 

“And now that this election is behind us, I’m going to try even harder to keep an open mind, open heart and really listen to folks who don’t support me or my policies and work with everyone in the legislature to seek compromising common ground.”