Tim Walz and his dog targeted in bizarre new far-right conspiracy theory

Washington DC - Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz is at the center of a new conspiracy theory, as a handful of social media users are convinced the Minnesota governor lied about the identity of his dog.

A wild conspiracy theory claiming vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has been lying about a dog he has owned has been spreading on the internet.
A wild conspiracy theory claiming vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has been lying about a dog he has owned has been spreading on the internet.  © JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

On Monday, a post on X from conservative columnist Dustin Grage went viral, in which he put two images of Walz playing with two different dogs side by side.

"This is Tim Walz tweeting about his dog Scout," Grage wrote in the post. "Only problem is that these are two completely different dogs."

The post quickly went viral, sparking a fiery debate, with some users claiming Walz has been lying about owning the black Labrador mix, which became Minnesota's "First Dog" back in 2019.

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A community note was eventually attached to the post, which clarified the picture on the right was a screenshot from a video Walz shared of himself visiting a dog park in 2022.

The dog in the picture was another pup he and Scout met that day.

Tim Walz conspiracy theory spreads like wildfire

The bizarre conspiracy theory comes as Walz, who recently became Democratic candidate Kamala Harris's running mate in the presidential race, has faced a number of criticisms and attacks from Republicans, such as criticisms about his military service and progressive policies he passed while governor.

Despite the dog theory being easily debunked, a handful of MAGA Republicans continued to share the theory, including Donald Trump Jr.'s wife Kimberly Guilfoyle, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and Missouri Senator Eric Schmidt.

MSNBC anchor and former White House spokesperson Jen Psaki recently described the theory as another "desperate" attempt to get Walz, adding, "Better luck next time, guys."

Cover photo: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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