Trump praised Walz for his handling of the George Floyd riots in 2020, audio reveals.

Former President Trump has criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for his response to the unrest in the state in May 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. However, a recently surfaced audio recording reveals that Trump had actually praised Walz for how he handled the situation.

The audio recording, obtained by The Associated Press, captures Trump on a phone call with Walz and other governors and officials on June 1, 2020. During the call, Trump commended the swift action taken in Minneapolis, saying, “What they did in Minneapolis was incredible. They went in and dominated, and it happened immediately.”

Walz, who has been serving as Minnesota’s governor since 2019, has recently come under scrutiny for his handling of the riots that erupted in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s tragic death on May 25, 2020. The deployment of the National Guard three days later to quell the violence, including the burning of a police station, drew criticism, with some arguing that both Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey were slow to respond. The blame game ensued, with Walz and Frey pointing fingers at each other for the delays.

Despite Trump offering federal assistance to Walz at the time, the governor did not take him up on the offer. Trump, however, did not fault Walz for the delays, instead attributing the situation to the mayor. During the call, Trump expressed satisfaction with the actions taken by Walz, acknowledging the significant impact made by deploying large numbers to handle the unrest.

While the resurfaced audio recording highlights Trump’s praise for Walz’s response to the unrest, the former president has since been critical of the governor in recent months. Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, clarified that Trump’s acknowledgment of Walz’s actions was in response to the governor finally taking steps to address the violence after days of unrest in Minneapolis.

Leavitt emphasized that despite President Trump’s offer to deploy soldiers and pleas for assistance from the Minneapolis mayor, Walz allowed the city to burn for days before taking action by deploying the National Guard. The phone call on June 1, which was held days after the riots began, saw Trump recognizing Walz for ultimately mobilizing the National Guard to restore order in the city.

Fox Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for further comments but has not received an immediate response. Both Fox Digital’s Michael Lee and Chris Pandolfo, along with The Associated Press, have contributed to this report.