Trump predicts a Minnesota win in November. Dems bash the former president at rally
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
The scrambled race for president is being marked in Minnesota by fresh energy for both political parties with fewer than 100 days to go before Americans decide the outcome.
Democrats expect to settle this week on their nominee — almost certain to be Vice President Kamala Harris — and there’s a chance Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz joins her on the ballot.
Meanwhile, thousands of people packed the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center at St. Cloud State University on Saturday, waiting hours to see former President Donald Trump and his running mate.
Trump, the Republican for a third time, did not disappoint his base and often had the crowd standing, applauding and cheering his grand promises.
Support Local News
When breaking news happens, MPR News provides the context you need. Help us meet the significant demands of these newsgathering efforts.
“With your vote this election, inflation will stop,” he said. “The illegal aliens will be turned back, the cartels will be in retreat, crime will fall, energy prices will plummet, incomes will soar and a world in chaos will rapidly be transformed into a planet of peace.”
Trump claimed that had he been reelected four years ago, inflation would not have been a problem. He also said the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel’s deadly conflict with Hamas in Gaza would not have happened. The hypotheticals he posed are just that.
What is undeniable: Minnesota has not backed a Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972. Still, Trump declared he will win the state this fall that he lost twice before.
But the former president had this caveat: “If we have an honest election, we’re gonna blow it out in Minnesota,” Trump said.
Trump spoke for more than one-and-a-half hours, spending a lot of time mocking President Joe Biden even though Biden is out of the race. He also repeatedly attacked Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee. He derided her as a “radical left lunatic.”
“Kamala wants to be the president for criminals and illegal aliens,” he said. “I want to be the president for law abiding Americans of every race, religion, color and creed.”
Trump also pledged to turn Minnesota’s Iron Range into a “mineral powerhouse” if he makes it back to the White House.
Rally attendees also heard from Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s pick for vice president. Vance accused Harris of covering up Biden’s state of health.
“She lied to us,” he said. “She lied to all of us and it’s unacceptable.”
Vance stuck around Sunday for a smaller event with supporters at a Waite Parke diner.
Edie Rosenberg of Excelsior is a big fan of Trump.
“He’s common sense,” she said. “He relates to us. He knows we’re struggling right now and we need something totally different and that’s what he’s going to provide. We’re going to be safer, we’re going to be stronger and we’re going to be wealthier.“
Democrats are just as dismissive of Trump as they ramp up their voter contacts.
Hours prior to the Trump rally, DFL Gov. Tim Walz led an event at a union hall in St. Paul.
Walz ridiculed the GOP ticket and panned it as made up of “weird people,” a phrase Walz has been using lately as he jockeys for a possible spot as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate.
“Let’s get this thing done,” Walz said. “Let’s go talk to our neighbors. Let’s win this election and let's take the country forward.”
DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said he welcomes Trump visits, which he says increase DFL fundraising and volunteer recruitment. Martin does not downplay the challenge Democrats have in maintaining Minnesota’s streak as the state with the longest winning record for Democratic presidential candidates. But Martin said Trump’s bravado does not match his campaign organization in Minnesota.
“What ultimately will be the deciding factor is the field and campaign, the on-the-ground campaign,” Martin said. “Right now the only campaign that’s investing in any significant way through field offices and field organizers and volunteers throughout the state is the Minnesota DFL and now the Harris campaign.”
A Trump campaign official refused to say how many campaign offices the Trump team currently has in Minnesota. The campaign previously said it planned to open eight.
Harris is on course to lock up the party nomination in a virtual convention delegate roll call this week and her VP pick, possibly Walz, could come soon after.
In recent days, Walz has declined to directly answer questions about whether he’s being vetted for the post, although multiple news outlets have reported he is high on the Harris list.
Republican Rep. Tom Emmer, a top Trump ally in Minnesota, went after Walz from the stage at Saturday’s rally.
“It's no wonder that he's being considered. He has tried to turn Minnesota into Kamala Harris' home state of California for the past six years,” Emmer said. “But Minnesotans know better than anyone: Walz is an empty suit who should not be allowed anywhere near the White House.”
On CNN on Sunday, Walz said he expects Minnesota to be hotly contested in the presidential race with visits by the candidates and key party leaders. He said Republicans will have an uphill fight flipping the state.
“I think these guys, there isn't going to be a pivot, because they don't have any new plans,” Walz said. “I think Minnesota always competitive, but we're certainly going to win."
MPR News reporters Dana Ferguson and Ellie Roth contributed.