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This back-and-forth might have ended there, but Walz wasn’t done. A few days later, Minnesota Senator Tina Smith joined in on the act, posting a photo on X of herself and Walz standing in front of Daube’s Cakes, a bakery in Rochester, Minnesota. Her caption read, “Can confirm!”—another attempt to mock Vance.
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But there was one critical problem with the photo. Daube’s Bakery had closed permanently in June 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The irony of standing in front of a shuttered business was not lost on social media users, especially given Walz’s role in implementing the state’s pandemic lockdown policies. Those policies, critics argue, led to widespread small business closures, including Daube’s.
Social media exploded with responses calling out the duo for their blunder. X users were quick to remind both Walz and Smith that the very bakery they were standing in front of no longer exists, in part due to the harsh lockdown measures put in place by Walz’s administration. One commenter noted, “Daube’s Bakery closed its doors for good in June 2020,” a fact that neither Walz nor Smith seemed to acknowledge.
Critics were quick to highlight the devastating impact of Walz’s COVID-19 restrictions on Minnesota’s small businesses. Many shops, restaurants, and other establishments were forced to close, with some never reopening. The closure of Daube’s Cakes was a stark reminder of the economic toll these policies took on local communities.
Adding fuel to the fire, several commentators pointed to the long-term consequences of Walz’s lockdown orders, including permanent learning loss among children and economic hardship for many families. As one outraged user pointed out, “Thanks to Walz, Daube’s Bakery is no longer in existence.”
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While Walz and Smith’s attempt to troll Vance may have seemed like harmless political theater, the backlash it generated was anything but. Instead of focusing on Vance’s awkward donut shop visit, the conversation quickly shifted to the more pressing issue of how Minnesota’s small businesses suffered during the pandemic.
The controversy serves as a stark reminder that political trolling can sometimes backfire, especially when the facts don’t line up with the narrative being pushed. For Walz and Smith, what was meant to be a lighthearted jab at a political opponent turned into a glaring misstep, drawing attention to the painful realities faced by Minnesotans during the pandemic.
While Vance hasn’t directly responded to the trolling effort, it’s clear that the Democrats’ attempt to score points at his expense only succeeded in opening up old wounds for many in Minnesota. As one commenter succinctly put it, “Maybe they should focus on reopening the businesses they closed instead of mocking other politicians.”
In the world of political theater, timing and accuracy are everything. Unfortunately for Walz and Smith, their attempt to troll Vance in front of a now-defunct bakery fell flat, leaving them to face the harsh truth of their state’s pandemic past.
