Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is catching heat for commenting on speculation about President Trump’s death and said he understood why people believed they would “see news.”

“Look, I get it, you get up in the morning and you ‘doom scroll’ through things, although I will say this, the last few days you woke up thinking there might be news,” Mr. Walz, a Democrat, said at a Labor Day picnic in Minnesota on Monday.

“Just saying, just saying, there will be news sometime, just so you know, there will be news,” he said, referring to Mr. Trump.

There was speculation about whether the president was in ill health, or even dead, over the holiday weekend when he went a few days without a public appearance. The rumors were squashed after photos were taken of him heading to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia.

Republican lawmakers and Trump allies were not happy with Mr. Walz’s comments and called him out.

“@Tim_Walz, mocking President Trump’s health is a new low, even for you,” posted House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Minnesota Republican, on X. “Wishing ill on others doesn’t make you a leader — it makes you small. Minnesotans deserve better.”

Rep. Pete Stauber, Minnesota Republican, also slammed the comments.

“Tim Walz ‘toning the rhetoric down,’ huh?” Mr. Stauber wrote on X. “Is there more fraud in Tim’s words or his state government?”

Benny Johnson, a conservative commentator, called Mr. Walz “sick” for the comments.

“Tim Walz was very excited about the left-wing rumors claiming President Trump had died,” Mr. Johnson said. 

Mr. Trump told reporters Tuesday that he hadn’t heard the rumors about his health to that extent.

He called the erroneous speculation about his death “very serious.”

“It’s fake news. It’s so fake,” Mr. Trump said. “That’s why the media has so little credibility.”

Mr. Trump said he had seen some reports saying he might have been ill during his quiet time over the holiday weekend, when he limited his public exposure to Truth Social posts, some interviews and socialized at his golf club in Virginia.

“I didn’t do any [public appearances] for two days and they said, ‘There must be something wrong with him,’” the president said.

But he assured everyone that he was “very active” over Labor Day weekend.

Mr. Walz was Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024. He has not yet said whether he will run for the presidency in 2028.

The Washington Times has reached out to Mr. Walz’s office for comment.

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.