Governor Tim Walz rocked friendship bracelets to the Vice Presidential debate thanks to his daughter Hope.
At the 1 October Vice Presidential debate, the Minnesota governor donned two Taylor Swift-style bracelets to the highly anticipated event. The Harris-Walz campaign told People they were a gift from Walz’s daughter, Hope, shortly before he left home to debate Ohio Senator JD Vance at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
Although viewers only got a few glimpses of the bracelets while Walz was on the debate stage and as he waved to onlookers outside of the venue, viewers loved that Walz wore them.
“STAAAHHHPP I can’t it’s so cute,” one user gushed on X, formerly Twitter.
“OMG, it’s friendship bracelet time?!?! YES,” someone else commented.
“WALZ IS WEARING FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS AWEEE,” another wrote.
“Tim Walz showing off his friendship bracelet ended me,” one user on X wrote. “He’s the best.”
Each bracelet bore the phrases “Joyful Warrior” and “Coach” — both of which have often been used to describe the VP nominee since he was tapped to join Vice President Kamala Harris‘ bid for the presidency. The former phrase was coined by second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who began calling the pair “joyful warriors” after the right-wing criticism for the positivity and laughter on the 2024 campaign trail.
Meanwhile, the “Coach” bracelet is a nod to the governor’s past as a coach for the Mankato West High School football team, which he took to their first state championship.
Friendship bracelets have reached new heights of popularity thanks to fans of Taylor Swift, who recently endorsed Harris and Walz in the upcoming election after the vice president’s debate against former president Donald Trump.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” the singer wrote. “I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” she continued, urging people to register to vote. “If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most.”
Before signing off, she added – “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady” – a direct reference to the infamous comments made by Vance. Following her endorsement, the Harris-Walz official website launched friendship bracelets in her honor. The bracelet had the last names of Harris and her running mate Walz spelled out in clay beads on two blue and black bracelets, with each bracelet having a bead displaying the number “24.”
The $20 bracelet sets were initially available for pre-order with an expected release date of September 24, they immediately sold out the next day. Walz acknowledged Swift’s support during the closing statement of Tuesday’s debate, giving a shoutout to the “Cruel Summer” pop star for her support of the democratic duo’s campaign.
“I’m as surprised as anybody of this coalition that Kamala Harris has built,” the Minnesota governor said. “From Bernie Sanders to Dick Cheney to Taylor Swift and a whole bunch of folks in between there. And they don’t all agree on everything, but they are truly optimistic people.”
He added, “They believe in a positive future of this country, and one where our politics can be better than it is.”