# Tampon Tim

"Tampon Tim" is a mocking nickname Republican operatives attached to Minnesota governor Tim Walz on August 6, 2024, hours after Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate, over a 2023 state law requiring free menstrual products in school restrooms[2]. Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt introduced the label on Fox News that morning, and the #TamponTim hashtag spread across X by afternoon through LibsOfTikTok, The Babylon Bee and @Catturd2[4]. Within 24 hours, Rolling Stone described the smear as a failing opening attack on the newly minted VP nominee[1].

## Origin
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt opened the "women's health" line on Fox News the morning of August 6, 2024, less than a day after Kamala Harris named Walz as her running mate[3]. The underlying policy is a 2023 Minnesota law Walz signed requiring school districts to provide free menstrual products in any restroom regularly used by students in grades 4 through 12, including boys' and gender-neutral bathrooms[1]. Conservative X accounts latched onto that access detail within hours, and the #TamponTim hashtag arrived the same afternoon[6].

- **Platform:** Fox News (TV debut) / X (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2024

## Overview
The attack hinges on a single legislative detail: the Minnesota statute places free pads and tampons in "restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12," which covers boys' and gender-neutral bathrooms alongside girls'[1]. Right-wing accounts cast the policy as Walz forcing tampons into boys' rooms, and the "Tampon Tim" line carried that argument across X by the afternoon of August 6[1].

Typical first-day posts fell into two shapes: photoshopped product packaging showing Walz's face on a tampon box, and sarcastic captions painting the Minnesota law as proof he was a feminized political figure[6]. The Babylon Bee ran a satirical news post about Walz signing a bill to put tampons in boys' school bathrooms, which hit 50,000 likes within a day[5]. Progressive users on X answered the hashtag by sharing defenses of the policy and noting its benefit to trans students and low-income families[1].

## How to Use
Typical #TamponTim posts marry Walz's face to a tampon or pad product image and add a caption casting him as feminized or anti-boy. Common conventions include photoshopped box packaging and mock news graphics tagged with #TamponTim alone[4][5].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Tampon Tim?
A nickname Republican accounts attached to Tim Walz on August 6, 2024 after he was named Kamala Harris's VP pick, mocking a 2023 Minnesota law requiring free menstrual products in school restrooms used by grades 4 through 12[2].

### Where did Tampon Tim come from?
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt opened the attack on Fox News the morning of August 6, 2024, and X accounts picked up the #TamponTim hashtag within hours[3][4].

### What does Tampon Tim mean?
The label is a jab at Walz for signing a Minnesota law that places free tampons in all school bathrooms, which critics called a "threat to women's health"[3].

### How do you use Tampon Tim?
X users typically combine Walz's face with a photoshopped tampon box or a sarcastic caption about his signing of the Minnesota bill[4].

### Is Tampon Tim still popular?
Rolling Stone described the nickname as a short-lived and failing attack within a day of its launch, and it faded from active use after the August 2024 news cycle[1].

## References
1. [https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-attack-tim-walz-tampon-somalia-1235075458/](<https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-attack-tim-walz-tampon-somalia-1235075458/>)
2. [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/us/politics/trump-tim-walz-tampons-schools.html](<https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/us/politics/trump-tim-walz-tampons-schools.html>)
3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvODZoFM5B4](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvODZoFM5B4>)
4. [https://x.com/ChayaRaichik10/status/1820860068956655758/](<https://x.com/ChayaRaichik10/status/1820860068956655758/>)
5. [https://x.com/TheBabylonBee/status/1820967775721881666](<https://x.com/TheBabylonBee/status/1820967775721881666>)
6. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tampon-tim](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tampon-tim>)
7. [https://x.com/catturd2/status/1820845020196266197](<https://x.com/catturd2/status/1820845020196266197>)
8. [https://x.com/stillgray/status/1820885659453943981/](<https://x.com/stillgray/status/1820885659453943981/>)
9. [https://x.com/CWJediMaster/status/1820968018010333453](<https://x.com/CWJediMaster/status/1820968018010333453>)
10. [https://x.com/MrsEricaGarza/status/1820860876720832603](<https://x.com/MrsEricaGarza/status/1820860876720832603>)

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