Politics in 2024 felt like a fever dream, didn't it? Just when you thought the campaign trail couldn't get any weirder, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz took a stage in Detroit and dropped a line that had everyone hitting the rewind button on their DVRs. He was mid-sentence, talking about billionaires and tax cuts, and then it happened.
"That guy, that gay guy," Walz said. He was referring to Elon Musk.
The clip went nuclear within minutes. Honestly, it’s one of those moments where the internet collectively leaned in and asked, "Wait, did he actually just say that?" It wasn’t a leaked hot-mic moment or a behind-the-scenes whisper. It was right there in the open, four days before the election, at a rally meant to fire up the "blue wall" in Michigan.
Why Tim Walz calls Musk gay became a viral wildfire
If you watch the footage, the context is a bit of a mess. Walz was riffing on the influence of massive wealth in politics. He was specifically targeting the alliance between Donald Trump and the Tesla CEO. He started by saying, "If you're a billionaire—Elon Musk, for example, say—that guy..." and then the words "that gay guy" slipped out.
He didn't stop. He didn't correct himself. He actually followed it up with, "Michigan knows that word," before pivoting back to talking about tax cuts.
Now, was it a slur? A slip of the tongue? A bizarre attempt at a joke that landed in another zip code? Critics jumped on it immediately. On X (formerly Twitter), the backlash was instant. People were pointing out that using "gay" as a pejorative—if that's what he was doing—is exactly the kind of thing Democrats usually rail against.
👉 See also: Margaret Thatcher Explained: Why the Iron Lady Still Divides Us Today
Some supporters argued he was just stuttering. They claimed he was trying to say "that guy got" and the sounds just blurred together. It’s a plausible theory if you’ve ever tripped over your own tongue during a presentation, but the "Michigan knows that word" follow-up made the "stutter" defense a hard sell for a lot of people.
Musk's reaction was surprisingly chill
You’d think Elon Musk, a man not exactly known for holding his tongue, would have gone on a multi-day tirade. Instead, he took the "I’m rubber, you’re glue" approach. He hopped on his own platform and posted, "I have no problem being called gay tbh."
It was a savvy move. By not getting offended, he basically sucked the oxygen out of the room. It made the whole incident look more like a Walz faceplant than a successful political hit.
But the beef didn't start or end there. This was just the peak of a long-running feud. A few weeks prior, Walz had mocked Musk for his appearance at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. You remember the photo—Musk jumping in the air, arms wide, looking like he just won a golden ticket to a chocolate factory. Walz called him a "dipsh*t" for that one. He said Musk was "skipping around" like someone who didn't know how to act on a stage.
The fallout and the "weird" factor
The whole "Walz calls Musk gay" incident fed into a larger narrative that was dominating the 2024 cycle. The Harris-Walz campaign had been leaning heavily into calling the Republican ticket "weird." When Walz had this gaffe, Republicans flipped the script. They started calling him the weird one.
✨ Don't miss: Map of the election 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
It’s a reminder of how high the stakes are in the final 96 hours of a presidential race. One wrong syllable can dominate a news cycle that should be about policy or turnout.
Honestly, the Harris-Walz campaign stayed pretty quiet about it afterward. They didn't issue a formal apology or even a clarification, which is a classic political tactic: if you don't acknowledge the fire, maybe it'll run out of fuel. For a few days, it didn't. It became a talking point on every major news network, from Fox News to MSNBC.
Different perspectives on the "gay guy" comment
Depending on who you ask, this moment was either a nothingburger or a revealing glimpse into Walz's "real" personality.
- The "Gaffe" Camp: These folks believe Walz simply misspoke. He's known for a fast, sometimes frantic speaking style. They point to his record of supporting LGBTQ+ rights as evidence that he doesn't have a homophobic bone in his body. To them, it was just a "knucklehead" moment—a term Walz has used to describe himself before.
- The "Double Standard" Camp: Critics on the right argued that if JD Vance or Donald Trump had referred to a political opponent as "that gay guy" in a mocking tone, the media would have demanded an immediate resignation. They saw it as a mask-off moment for a politician who pretends to be the "nice guy" from the Midwest.
- The "Distraction" Camp: Some political analysts think it was a classic case of a candidate getting distracted by a heckler. There are reports that someone in the crowd shouted "dipsh*t" right before the comment, and Walz might have been trying to incorporate the crowd's energy and just... failed.
Moving past the rhetoric
So, what do we actually do with this information? In a world where political discourse is basically a series of "gotcha" clips, it’s easy to get lost in the noise. But there are a few real takeaways here for anyone following the intersection of tech and politics.
First, realize that the relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington has fundamentally shifted. When a VP candidate is taking direct, personal shots at the world's richest man, we're not in Kansas anymore. This isn't just about tax policy; it's a cultural war.
🔗 Read more: King Five Breaking News: What You Missed in Seattle This Week
Second, watch the language. The "weird" strategy worked for a while, but as this incident showed, it's a double-edged sword. When you start getting personal, the "high road" starts to look pretty narrow.
If you’re trying to stay informed without losing your mind, the best move is to look at the full transcript of these rallies. Clips are designed to make you angry. The full context usually makes you realize that most of these guys are just tired, caffeinated politicians trying to fill 45 minutes of airtime without a teleprompter.
Pay attention to how these "slips" affect polling in the final days. Often, the internet cares way more than the actual voters in line at the precincts. While we were all debating what Walz meant in Detroit, most people were probably more worried about the price of eggs or their mortgage rates.
Focus on the actual policy disagreements between the Musk-backed "DOGE" (Department of Government Efficiency) ideas and the Walz-style economic plans. That's where the real impact on your life will happen, long after the viral clips have faded into the digital abyss. Stay critical of the soundbites and keep your eyes on the legislation.