Trump, Vance to hold weekend campaign rally in St. Cloud

Alex Derosier, Pioneer Press
·2 min read
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Former Republican President Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance are scheduled to make campaign stops in Minnesota on Saturday, including a rally in St. Cloud.

The visit comes as Republican strategists once again set their eyes on winning Minnesota, despite no GOP presidential candidate prevailing against a Democrat in the state since 1972.

The rally will be held on the campus of St. Cloud State University at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center at 7 p.m. Saturday.

In a statement, St. Cloud State said: “The Trump campaign is renting Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Through the years, St. Cloud State University has served as a rental venue for political rallies across the political spectrum. As a public university, SCSU does not endorse or affiliate itself with any candidates.”

St. Cloud is located in the 6th Congressional District, in reliably Republican central Minnesota.

The Minnesota visit follows a July 13 assassination attempt against Trump as well as Democratic President Joe Biden’s Sunday decision to abandon his reelection bid. Vice President Kamala Harris is swiftly moving to replace him atop the Democratic ticket.

Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio, also is scheduled to attend a campaign fundraiser Saturday in Minneapolis, according to an invitation distributed by the Minnesota Republican Party. Location details will be made available to people who RSVP for the event, according to the invite.

The minimum price for entry is $3,300 per person to attend the reception. Attendees who want a photo with Vance would pay $15,000. The top tier for the fundraiser is $50,000 to be on the host committee.

Trump last visited Minnesota in May when he delivered a speech at a fundraiser hosted by the Minnesota GOP during the party’s state endorsing convention.

Republicans have remained hopeful about a Trump win in Minnesota after the former president came within 1.5 percentage points of Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Biden beat the incumbent Trump in Minnesota by more than 7 points in 2020.

In a Tuesday post to his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed to have the edge in Minnesota and complained about Fox News interviewing the state’s Democratic governor.

“Why did Fox News put up Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, where I am leading?” Trump wrote. “They make me fight battles that I shouldn’t have to fight!”

Walz, who is thought to be getting consideration as Harris’ prospective running mate, responded in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “Take it from this small town guy: Donald Trump knows nothing about rural America. That’s why he’s going to lose Minnesota. And Wisconsin. And Michigan. And Pennsylvania.”

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