Tim Walz, the former vice presidential candidate who was on the national stage just months ago, announced Monday he’s ending his bid for a third term as Minnesota governor—and he’s pointing the finger squarely at Donald Trump and his MAGA attack machine.

The 61-year-old Democrat’s decision came after weeks of relentless targeting by the right, culminating in Trump reposting a vile social media video that falsely accused Walz of being behind the assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. Yes, the sitting president shared a conspiracy theory suggesting a sitting governor murdered a colleague.

THE DETAILS: Hortman, a Democratic state legislator, was killed last year in her home along with her husband and their dog in what was determined to be a politically motivated attack. Trump decided that was fair game for a baseless conspiracy theory.

“My father and mother, Mark and Melissa Hortman, and their dog Gilbert, were killed by a man who believed conspiracy theories and fake news,” wrote Colin Hortman, demanding Trump remove the post. “Words matter. Sharing fake news is dangerous.”

Walz called Trump’s repost “dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States.”

BUT BUT BUT: The murder conspiracy wasn’t the only attack. A firestorm erupted in recent weeks after MAGA content creator Nick Shirley posted a viral video claiming widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota.

The video had “limited evidence” to prove its allegations, but that didn’t stop JD Vance and Elon Musk from amplifying it to millions.

Of course, Trump has been targeting Walz since long before the welfare fraud narrative. The president childishly dubbed him “Tampon Tim” for signing a law requiring public schools to provide menstrual products to students—the horror—and has also called the governor “r-tarded.”

ZOOM OUT: This is a stunning political fall. Just months ago, Walz was Kamala Harris’s running mate, introduced to the nation as a “fighter for the middle class.” Harris picked the former teacher and football coach a mere 91 days before the 2024 election.

Now, only four months after announcing he’d seek re-election, Walz is stepping aside. In his statement, he accused Trump and his allies of wanting “to make our state a colder, meaner place” and wanting to “poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors.”

“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences,” Walz said.

WHY IT MATTERS: This is the MAGA playbook in action: flood the zone with attacks—some absurd, some manufactured, some genuinely depraved—until your target buckles.

Trump and his allies pushed conspiracy theories about a murdered woman, amplified thinly sourced allegations of fraud, and hurled slurs until a sitting governor decided he couldn’t fight a re-election campaign and govern at the same time.

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar is reportedly considering jumping into the governor’s race, but no decision has been made.

Meanwhile, Democrats remain without a clear national leader as the 2026 midterms approach.