Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has bipolar dysfunction.
In October 2024, because the U.S. presidential election approached, a rumor unfold alleging that Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has bipolar dysfunction. With out offering proof to substantiate the assertion, one submit on X introduced the alleged psychological well being situation as breaking information (archived):
As of this writing, that submit has obtained 597,100 views and 17,000 likes. The rumor additionally appeared
It is unclear the place the rumor originated, or who began it. The earliest cases of the declare we discovered had been posted on X on Oct. 2, 2024. (We did a search for X posts with the phrases “Walz” and “bipolar” between Sept. 1, 2024, and Oct. 1, 2024, and nothing appeared.) One account was significantly lively in spreading the rumor and replied to multiple X posts with the road: “October Shock: Tim Walz is Bipolar #BipolarWalz #LowIQKamala.”
Folks appeared to consider the declare was believable. One submit on X requested for a supply to assist the declare, including that it would “explain a lot“ if it had been true (archived). On Oct. 11, a number of Snopes readers searched our website for info to show or disprove the declare.
Nevertheless, there was no proof to corroborate the declare that Walz has bipolar disorder — a psychological sickness that causes an individual to swing between manic elation and deep melancholy.
Federal law prevents the disclosure of individuals’s medical data with out their permission, together with politicians. So in an effort to affirm or debunk the rumor, Walz would wish to publicly handle it. That had not occurred.
We reached out to his marketing campaign to ask if there was any fact to the rumor, and we didn’t obtain a response. We are going to replace this report if, or when, that modifications.
Amongst elected officials who’ve talked brazenly about their psychological well being are Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, former Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island.
Moreover, there was no information protection about Walz’s alleged psychological sickness. Hypothetically talking, if there was any indication that Walz has bipolar dysfunction, journalists from respected information retailers would search to seek out extra info, as they do when credible claims about different politicians’ well being floor.
Primarily based on our search of reports tales, the one studies linking Walz to psychological sickness are about his son’s nonverbal learning disability, consideration deficit hyperactivity dysfunction (ADHD) and nervousness.
Walz has been open about his struggles earlier than. For instance, he informed The Minnesota Star Tribune in 2018 he stopped ingesting alcohol 27 years prior after he was caught speeding while drunk.Â
It’s a widespread political tactic to unfold rumors in regards to the psychological well being of opponents, whatever the allegations’ legitimacy. Within the remaining stretch of the 2024 presidential race, claims about former President Donald Trump’s cognitive skills, in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris’, circulated broadly on-line.
