Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) used his Wednesday night speech at the Democratic National Convention to highlight both his and Gov. Tim Walz‘s (D-MN) military service, and knock former president Donald Trump for his lack of it.
“Now, I joined the Army when I was 17. In fact, I was too young to sign the paperwork. I had to ask my mom to sign the paperwork for me because I don’t have bone spurs,” Moore said.
Moore appeared to be referring to allegations that Trump claimed he had bone spurs to defer his draft into the Vietnam War.
Later in his speech, Moore referred to Walz as his “fellow veteran, my brother, and the next Vice President of the United States.”
“Tim knows that in the military, you count the days towards mission completion. So guess what Y’all? We have got 75 days and a wake-up until Election Day. Seventy-five days and a wake-up for us to prove what Americans can do when the pressure is on — 75 days and a wake-up for us to show that true patriots do not whine and complain. We put our heads down and we get to work.”
Moore has widely been considered a rising star in the party and was thrust into the spotlight after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was struck by a cargo ship in March.
Moore invoked the incident in the opening of his speech, detailing how Vice President Kamala Harris was one of the first phones he received after the catastrophe that killed six people.
Speculation that Moore could mount a presidential bid in the future has continued to follow the Maryland governor. However, Moore told the Washington Examiner during an interview earlier this year that he wasn’t making plans for higher office at the time.
“It’s something that isn’t even partially on my mind because I honestly feel like I’m living a dream right now,” said Moore.
Still, Moore was among the names floated as a possible vice presidential pick for Vice President Kamala Harris before she ultimately picked Walz.
As Moore’s name ID has grown, particularly during his 2022 governor’s bid, he has had to address criticisms that he let an incorrect narrative grow that he was raised in Baltimore.
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Moore was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, and spent a portion of his childhood in the Bronx. But Moore rebuked the criticism at the time, stating he did “not think I misled the public at all” in a statement to a local outlet.
Rachel Schilke contributed to this report.