Tim Walz's viral friendship bracelets were a gift from his daughter Hope

Gov. Tim Walz rocked friendship bracelets to the vice presidential debate thanks to his daughter Hope.

At the October 1 vice presidential debate, the Minnesota governor donned two Taylor Swift-style bracelets for the highly anticipated event. The Harris-Walz campaign told People They were a gift from Walz's daughter, Hope, shortly before he left home to debate Ohio Sen. JD Vance at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.

Although viewers only caught a glimpse of the wristbands while Walz was on the debate stage waving to spectators outside the venue, viewers were thrilled to see Walz wearing them.

“STAAAHHHPP I can't it's so cute,” gushed one user on X, formerly Twitter.

“OMG, it’s time for a friendship bracelet?!?! YES,” someone else commented.

“WALZ WEARS FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS AWEEE,” wrote another.

“Tim Walz showing off his friendship bracelet cracked me up,” one user wrote on X. “He's the best.”

On each bracelet were the words “Joyful Warrior” and “Coach” – both of which have been used often to describe the vice presidential nominee since he was chosen to join Vice President Kamala Harris' bid for the presidency. The first term was coined by second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who described the couple as “joyful warriors” following right-wing criticism of their positivity and laughter during the 2024 election campaign.

Meanwhile, the “Coach” bracelet is a nod to the governor's past as coach of the Mankato West High School football team, which he took to its first state championship.

Friendship bracelets have reached new heights of popularity thanks to Taylor Swift's fans, who recently supported Harris and Walz in the upcoming election following the vice presidential debate against former President Donald Trump.

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“I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election. I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to stand up for them. “I think she is a level-headed, gifted leader and I believe we can achieve so much more in this country when we are led by calm and not chaos,” the singer wrote. “I was so encouraged and impressed by her choice as Vice President @timwalz, who has been a champion of LGBTQ+ rights, IVF and a woman's right to her own body for decades.”

“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” she continued, urging people to register to vote. “If you haven’t already, now is a good time to learn about the current issues and these candidates’ positions on the issues that matter most to you.”

Before signing off, she added: “Taylor Swift, childless cat lady” – a direct reference to Vance's infamous comments. Following her support, Harris-Walz's official website released friendship bracelets in her honor. The bracelet featured the last names of Harris and her vice president, Walz, written in clay beads on two blue and black bracelets, each bracelet bearing a bead with the number “24.”

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The $20 bracelet sets were initially available for pre-order and were expected to release on September 24th. They sold out immediately the next day. Walz acknowledged Swift's support during the debate's closing statement on Tuesday, praising the “Cruel Summer” pop star for her support of the Democratic duo's campaign.

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“I’m as surprised as anyone in this coalition that Kamala Harris has built,” the Minnesota governor said. “From Bernie Sanders to Dick Cheney to Taylor Swift and a whole host of people in between. And they don’t agree on everything, but they’re really optimistic people.”

He added: “They believe in a positive future for this country and one in which our politics can be better than they are.”