Let’s compare the best-known candidate on the national political scene, Donald Trump, with the least-known, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, running mate of Kamala Harris.

Let’s start with religion, a big deal in the minds of many American voters. Even though Trump doesn’t go to church or pray or obey the Ten Commandments, and even though he holds the Bible upside down and cashes in by selling special Trump-endorsed Bibles, he likes to flaunt his Christian credentials before crowds of adoring white Christian evangelicals at rallies and conventions. Walz, a loyal Lutheran, takes a different approach. For example, he recently said of Minnesota: “We don’t have the Ten Commandments in posted our classrooms, but we have free breakfast and lunch.” Wow, how radical! What would Jesus say?

Trump has never won the majority of votes when he’s run for public office. Never. He lost to Hillary Clinton by three million votes and he lost to Joe Biden by six million votes. Tim Walz ran for a seat in Congress six times and won every time. Then he ran for governor of Minnesota and won. The message is clear: Minnesotans love Tim Walz. Did you know that Trump only got 12% of the vote in his old home town (the borough of Manhattan) in the 2020 presidential election? Trump, doesn’t wear well with those who know him best.

Here’s another subject worth addressing: money, Trump’s real Bible. As president, Trump’s major accomplishment was delivering big tax cuts for the rich and for corporations. Indeed, right after the tax-cuts-for-the-rich bill passed, Trump returned to Mara Lago and told his wealthy buddies: “You all just got a lot richer.” Walz, by contrast, worked to increase the minimum wage in Minnesota to $15/hour and link future increases to inflation.

Walz rose to the rank of command sergeant major over 24 years in the U.S. Army National Guard. Trump has reportedly described people who serve in the military as “suckers and losers.” Can you say “bone spurs?”

In 2023, Trump became the first U.S. President to be indicted in the nation’s 234-year history – and he’s since broken that record three more times. Walz has never been indicted. Chalk one up for the Trumpster.

Trump has filed for bankruptcy protection six times. Walz has never done so.

Let’s talk education. It’s perhaps true that Trump’s bachelor’s degree from an Ivy League institution (the University of Pennsylvania) carries more weight than Walz’ degree from Chadron State College in Minnesota. And while Walz spent years teaching in high school, Trump had more noble aspirations. He created his own hallowed institution of higher learning: Trump University. Never mind that Trump University was later deemed a “massive scam” by the conservative National Review or that he had to settle a lawsuit for $25 million after he became president. Details, details.

Trump appointed three Supreme Court Justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. As governor of Minnesota, Walz supported the Protect Reproductive Options Act that guarantees that every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about the individual’s own reproductive health.

Trump has derided all efforts to address the effects of climate change. As Governor, Walz enacted a law that requires a carbon-free electric grid by 2040.

And, well, let’s not overlook hair. At a rally griping about low water pressure, Trump said: “I have this beautiful luxuriant hair and I put stuff on … I like lots of lather because … it seems to be slightly thicker that way.” Walz, meanwhile, has joked: “I supervised the lunchroom for 20 years. You do not leave that job with a full head of hair. Trust me.”

Enough is enough. Trump and Walz are very different Americans with very different values. Some readers may argue that Trump isn’t running against Walz, that I’m comparing apples and oranges. Well, it’s true that Walz is as American as apple pie and that Trump’s face has an orange tint. Let’s just say that I’m comparing a very happy apple with a very sour lemon, and leave it at that.