Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said his fellow party members need to be a bit more harsh in upcoming elections to put an end to political intimidation.

After an unsuccessful bid for the vice presidency in November, Walz has shared staunch criticism of Elon Musk and other officials within the Trump administration. 

“I’m getting called out on this because I called Donald Trump a wannabe dictator — it’s because he is. It’s because he is,” Walz said Saturday during his keynote address for the South Carolina Democratic Party Convention.

He said people alleged that his comments were “mean.”

“Well, maybe it’s time for us to be a little meaner. Maybe it’s time for us to be a little more fierce, because we have to ferociously push back on this,” Walz said, urging critics to rebuke the Trump administration’s policies.

Walz’s words were echoed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) during his remarks at the annual South Carolina Democrats’ Blue Palmetto Dinner Friday night.

“I want to be clear: We can and we must condemn Donald Trump’s reckless actions. But we would also be foolish not to learn from his impatience,” Moore, a first-term governor, said during his roughly 30-minute speech to the state party’s officials and activists. 

“Donald Trump doesn’t need a study to dismantle democracy or use the Constitution like a suggestion box. Donald Trump doesn’t need a white paper to start arbitrary trade wars that raise the cost of virtually everything in our lives,” he added.

Walz and Moore also made an appearance at Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) annual fish fry Friday night, an event known to be dazzled by presidential hopefuls. 

The Maryland governor said ​​he would not run for the Oval Office next election cycle but party members have floated him as a viable leader for 2028.

On Saturday, Walz said that any work geared towards ensuring a Democratic win in the next presidential campaign would need to start soon.

“It starts this Saturday as us starting to organize. Donald Trump ran for president for four years after he got beat in 2020. The Republican Party ran for four years. Their school board members ran for four years. All of those things were happening,” the Minnesota governor said.

“And what I know about our party is we know how to work. We’re people with grit and resilience. We know how to get things done,” he added.