MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥� A sister of Democratic vice presidential nominee says she doesn鈥檛 recognize the people wearing 鈥淣ebraska Walz鈥檚 for Trump鈥� T-shirts in a photo that is making the rounds on social media. It turns out they are distant cousins.
The photo shows eight smiling people wearing navy pro-Trump shirts, underneath a "Trump 2024 鈥� Take America Back" sign. The photo was eventually by former President , who wrote on his Truth Social platform: 鈥淚t is a Great Honor to have your Endorsement. I look forward to meeting you soon!鈥�
The photo was first posted on X by Charles Herbster, a former candidate for governor in Nebraska who had Trump鈥檚 endorsement in the 2022 campaign. Herbster鈥檚 spokesperson, Rod Edwards, said the people in the photo are cousins to the Minnesota governor, who is now Kamala Harris' running mate.
鈥淭he family in the picture are the descendants of Francis Walz, who was brother to Tim Walz鈥檚 grandfather,鈥� Edwards said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e all Walzes and spouses.鈥�
The descendants of Francis Walz confirmed their relationship to Tim Walz in a text message to The Associated Press.
鈥淪hortly after Governor Tim Walz was named the Democrat Party Vice Presidential nominee, our family had a get-together. We had t-shirts made to show support for President Trump and J.D. Vance and took a group picture. That photo was shared with friends, and when we were asked for permission to post the picture, we agreed,鈥� the written statement said.
"The picture is real. The shirts are real. We are the Nebraska Walz family and we are related to Gov. Tim Walz, our grandfathers were brothers. The message on the shirts speaks for itself, 鈥淣ebraska Walzs for Trump.鈥�
Walz鈥檚 sister, Sandy Dietrich, of Alliance, Nebraska, said she suspected it might be people from that branch of the family. Dietrich and Walz's father, James Walz, died of lung cancer in 1984 when the future congressman and Minnesota governor was just a teenager. His father had been the school superintendent in Valentine, Nebraska.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 close with them. We didn鈥檛 know them," she said.
Dietrich declined to comment on their distant cousins' opposition to her brother and referred to herself and her family as 鈥淒emocrats for Tim.鈥�
鈥淚 know who I鈥檓 voting for. That鈥檚 all I can control," she said.
But Tim Walz鈥檚 other surviving sibling is not behind his candidacy.
In recent days, the on Facebook comments from the governor's older brother, Jeff Walz of Freeport, Florida, in which he said of his younger sibling: 鈥淭he stories I could tell. Not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.鈥� The 67-year-old also wrote that he was 鈥�100% opposed to all his ideology鈥� and had thought about endorsing Trump, the Post reported.
In comments Jeff Walz said that he was still irked he learned on the radio that his brother would be Harris鈥� running mate, but that he didn鈥檛 intend to influence the political debate and doesn鈥檛 want to be involved with anybody鈥檚 campaign.
Jeff Walz told NewsNation that he and the 60-year-old governor have not spoken since the funeral of their younger brother, Craig Walz, in 2016, aside from a brief phone call last month through their mother. He told NewsNation that what he was referring to in his post by 鈥渟tories鈥� were from their childhood.
鈥淣obody wanted to sit with him, because he had car sickness and would always throw up on us, that sort of thing,鈥� Jeff Walz said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 really nothing else hidden behind there. People are assuming something else. There鈥檚 other stories like that, but I think that probably gives you the gist of it.鈥�
He also told NewsNation that he would make no further statements on the subject. He did not immediately return messages left Wednesday by the AP.
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Associated Press writers Randy Herschaft and Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press
