Governor Walz Addresses “Liberate Minnesota” Tweet

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump said he got a “very nice call” from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday.

Walz tried calling Trump on Friday, but couldn’t get through at the time to the president or the vice president. Walz placed that call after Trump tweeted “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” in support of a protest outside the governor’s residence in St. Paul against Minnesota’s stay-at-home order, which is meant to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The president’s tone was different in a tweet Monday morning: “Received a very nice call from @GovTimWalz of Minnesota. We are working closely on getting him all he needs, and fast. Good things happening!”

Walz plans to discuss the call at his previously scheduled news conference Monday afternoon, his spokesman said. While he has expressed frustration with the state’s difficulties with the federal government in securing personal protective equipment and testing supplies, he’s been measured in his criticism of Trump.

At the news conference, Walz and Ecolab CEO Doug Baker will discuss the role of public-private partnerships in Minnesota’s fight against COVID-19. St. Paul-based Ecolab is a major producer of sanitation products. Administration officials are also expected to discuss the outbreak of COVID-19 at the JBS pork plant in Worthington.