Tim Walz Had Promised to Invest in a 30-Foot Ladder Factory if Donald Trump Built Another Wall

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz quipped about investing in a "30-foot ladder factory" in a striking display of political wit. It was in response to former President Donald Trump's border wall plans. The comment was made during a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper on July 30, 2024. It quickly went viral and became a rallying cry for Democrats opposing Trump's immigration policies. "[Trump] talks about this wall. I always say, 'Let me know how high it is. If it's 25 feet, then I'll invest in the 30-foot-ladder factory,'" Walz told Cooper. This smart reply summed up the Democrats' view that Trump's wall proposal was an ineffective and outdated solution to a complicated problem.

Walz didn't stop at humor. He proceeded to outline a more comprehensive approach to border security. "That's not how you stop this. You stop this using electronics, you stop it using more Border Patrol agents, and you stop it by having a legal system that allows for that tradition of allowing folks to come here just like my relatives did, to come here, be able to work and establish the American dream. He's not interested in that. He wants to demonize," he explained, as per The New York Post.

The Minnesota governor didn't shy away from addressing the human aspect of the immigration debate either. He pointed out the vital role immigrants play in the American economy, particularly in his home state. "Look, we produce most of the turkeys that you're going to eat on Thanksgiving [in Minnesota]. Those are immigrants working hard, establishing themselves here. What is [Trump] going to do? Is he going to take them all out? And how does the economy going to work," Walz questioned rhetorically.

Walz added, "These people -- my neighbors, whether they're Republican or Democrats, don't want to demonize their neighbors. They just want a safe border. The Lankford-Sinema bill was a big key to it, and Donald Trump doesn't want it. He thrives on chaos. He thrives on this idea that it's only him." Trump's most recent remarks on border policy were at a rally in Arizona on September 12, 2024. Trump initially seemed to stick to his usual immigration talking points. He warned about an influx of migrants and the threats he believes immigration poses to the country, as per Politico.

Trump soon veered into controversial territory. He repeated a baseless claim about Haitian migrants in Springfield. "A recording of 911 calls show that residents are reporting that the migrants are walking off with the town's geese. They're taking the geese. You know where the geese are? In the park, in the lake. And even walking off with their pets. 'My dog's been taken. My dog's been stolen,'" Trump said. These remarks echoed statements he made during the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. These comments got a lot of attention and sparked a bunch of criticism along with social media memes. Trump doubled down on the unproven claims instead of backing down.