“I have no problem picking out donuts,” the Democrat told reporters during a campaign appearance in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, appearing to knock his rival who struggled to hold a conversation with a worker while touring Holt’s Sweet Shop in Valdosta, Georgia. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) chimed in on X. “Can confirm!” she replied to a story about Walz’s visit while sharing a photograph of her and the governor chowing down on a box of donuts outside of Daube’s Cakes in Rochester, Minnesota. Online sleuths quickly uncovered that Covid-19 lockdown policies implemented by Walz led the bakery to close its doors for good in 2020.
“It turns out the bakery that Sen. Tina Smith and Tim Walz are at in this photo, Daube’s Cakes, closed its doors for good after over 30 years in June 2020 due to Walz’ covid lockdowns,” Greg Price wrote in response to Sen. Smith’s post.
MedCityBeat previously reported on Daube’s Cakes’ closure in June 2020 after 32 years in business. The end of in-person dining came after three back-to-back store shutterings, all of which the outlet attributed to pandemic lockdown policies. Without the ability to afford brick-and-mortar stores, Daube’s Cakes will attempt to reinvent itself as an online story for local baked goods, relying on social media sites like Facebook and its Messenger app to correspond with their sweet tooth customers. “We thank you all for your support and patronage over the years and are looking forward to continuing to serve the Rochester area with delicious cakes and products in a different format,” the business wrote on Facebook.
A number of other retail and service sector businesses in Rochester have closed their doors in recent months, a sign that Minnesota’s economy has not reached its pre-pandemic vitality – a struggle which critics of Gov. Walz attribute in part to his stringent shutdown policies. Tonic Juice Bar, a smoothie and sandwich shop, and popular Hibachi grill Jenpachi Japanese Steak House have also closed in recent months, the outlet reported.
Gov. Walz can’t seem to catch a break since joining Vice President Kamala Harris’s ticket in early August. Immediately after his announcement, retired military officers came forward to accuse their former National Guard colleague of “stolen valor.” A story Walz and his wife shared publicly about their struggles to conceive was fact-checked after reporters uncovered that they did not use IVF, an element they highlighted to contrast with some Republicans’ steadfast opposition to the procedure. More recently, close family members have endorsed former President Donald Trump and Sen. Vance over their brethren, with Walz’s own brother publicly suggesting he doesn’t have the character or fortitude to serve as vice president.
Walz is “not the type of character” voters should want in the White House, his brother Jeff Walz recently wrote on Facebook. “The stories I could tell,” he wrote in a chilling Facebook post.