Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Governor of Minnesota, has been reported to have exaggerated his credentials and misrepresented the involvement of Harvard University in a teaching program in China that he participated in. According to a recent investigation by the Washington Free Beacon, Walz falsely asserted that he was recognized as the “Outstanding Young Nebraskan” by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and suggested that Harvard was responsible for selecting him for a teaching opportunity in China through a university program. The program, known as WorldTeach, was established in 1986 by several Harvard alumni, as indicated on the organization’s LinkedIn profile.
These inaccuracies were found in an archived version of his campaign biography from 2006, during his congressional run. This revelation follows previous instances where Walz made misleading claims, including assertions regarding his children’s conception through in vitro fertilization (IVF), his experience carrying weapons in combat, and his military rank, stating he retired as a “command sergeant major” when he actually retired as a Master Sergeant.
“With his teaching degree complete, Harvard University offered Walz an opportunity to gain a new perspective on global education by teaching in the People’s Republic of China,” Walz’s biography on the archived website says. “Working in China during 1989-1990, Walz was a member of one of the first government sanctioned groups of American educators to teach in Chinese high schools.”
The publication observed that Walz’s congressional biography reportedly contained similar statements, and that a biography from 2018 seemingly suggested that Walz had been involved in teaching in China via the WorldTeach program, which is affiliated with Harvard University:
“The program in question is the WorldTeach program, a nonprofit founded by Harvard undergraduates, including the Nobel Prize-winning economist Michael Kremer, in 1986. For a time, the program was funded by Harvard’s Phillips Brooks House Association, which the Harvard Crimson has characterized as “a student-run community service group” that disburses resources to an array of nonprofit organizations and facilitates volunteerism for Harvard students. WorldTeach, which is currently dormant, does not appear to have ever been an official program of Harvard.”
WTF!?? Another lie from Stolen Valor @Tim_Walz. This loser claimed for decades that he was selected to be part of a Harvard University teaching program…Only problem is that he made it up!!! pic.twitter.com/lSbfoEDV1T
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 24, 2024
