Walz’s Daughter Admits ‘Enough Truth’ in Minnesota Fraud as Governor Exits

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s daughter acknowledged there was “enough truth” to the massive fraud scandal that has rocked the state, speaking publicly just hours after her father announced he would not seek a third term in office, as reported by The New York Post.

Hope Walz, 25, made the comments during an appearance on the podcast One Hour Detours with host John O’Sullivan, recorded shortly after Walz revealed he was stepping aside from the 2026 gubernatorial race. The governor said he was dropping out “to kind of get that target off of Minnesota.”

“I think there was enough truth to the fraud claim,” Hope Walz said during the interview.

She argued, however, that President Donald Trump and his supporters had exaggerated the issue and used it to attack her father, particularly as scrutiny intensified over Minnesota’s expansive social welfare programs.

The fraud scandal centers on alleged abuse of state-funded programs, with estimates of the losses ranging widely.

While the theft is commonly estimated at around $1 billion, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said late last year that the total could reach $9 billion or more. Prosecutors have charged more than 90 individuals in connection with the scheme.

Federal investigators have said the fraud was especially prevalent among networks operating within Minnesota’s Somali community, where individuals allegedly created fraudulent nonprofits to obtain public funds intended for services such as food assistance, housing support, and daycare for children.

Hope Walz said her father became a focal point for criticism because of his national profile, which she believes ultimately led him to abandon the race.

“I think he was popular during the campaign last fall, and he’s still in office, and he’s running again — and so it’s just kind of an easy thing for them [Republicans] to pick up on,” she said.

“I think it’s because he’s everything Trump will never be.”

She said Walz began reconsidering his reelection plans as pressure mounted over the past month and finalized his decision during the holiday period.

“I don’t want to speak for him, but I think when things started getting really intense for me like on my social media and then people even saying things like to Gus and stuff, I think that’s when he was really like, ‘Okay, like, I need to evaluate what’s best for the state and then I need to evaluate what’s best for my family,’” she said.

“And then, I think it was just kind of a natural conclusion.”

Hope Walz has previously drawn attention for defending her family online. In a now-deleted TikTok video, she said her younger brother Gus was being targeted with insults following Trump’s attacks on her father.

“I’m talking about this because while my family and I are always gonna be the bigger people, the president calling my dad what he did has unleashed a f–king s–t storm regarding offensive language towards me and my family and specifically my brother,” she said in the video. “You can call me whatever you want, you can call my dad, my mom, when it’s Gus, f–k to the no.”

Trump criticized Walz during a Thanksgiving message, calling him “seriously retarded” while accusing the governor of allowing tens of thousands of Somali immigrants to overrun what he described as Minnesota’s “once great state.”

Scrutiny of Walz has increased in recent weeks after conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley released a viral video showing allegedly empty taxpayer-funded daycare centers. Walz had also faced renewed attention due to his role as the 2024 vice presidential running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Before announcing his exit, Walz was widely viewed as the Democratic frontrunner in the 2026 race. Democrats have won statewide elections in Minnesota consistently since 2006.