ST.CLOUD – Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance enthusiastically stood for hours in withering heat Saturday to get into the ticket’s first Minnesota rally of this election season, chanting “USA!” and “Fight, fight, fight!” as they pumped their fists in eager anticipation.
Vance was greeted with loud applause and kicked off 20 minutes of remarks, saying the ticket “stands with Israel,” mentioning the rocket attack on a school on the country’s northern border as an example of the bad things that can happen when Trump isn’t president.
The Ohio senator talked about how Trump “wiped the debate stage” with President Joe Biden, and suggested the crowd “thank President Trump for getting rid of Joe Biden once and for all.” Then he pivoted to attacking the media; when the crowd booed, Vance said: “They deserve it.”
He said the media had covered for Biden and now compares Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King when she is really a “card-carrying member of the San Francisco lunatic fringe.” He talked about saving the country for “Americans of every race, color and creed.”
Vance said Harris owns “every failure” of the Biden administration, referring to her repeatedly as the “border czar” who would give free health care and college tuition to undocumented immigrants. “She wants to hand over control of our country to people who shouldn’t be here in the first place,” he said.
Then speaking directly to those he called “illegal aliens,” Vance said: “Start packing your bags now.” The crowd launched into a spontaneous chant of “USA! USA!”
Before Vance spoke, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., warmed up the crowd and enthused about the GOP turning Minnesota red in a presidential election for the first time since 1972. The House majority whip jabbed Gov. Tim Walz, who reportedly is on the short list for consideration to join Harris on the ticket.
“Walz is an empty suit who should not be allowed anywhere near the White House,” Emmer said.
A capacity crowd of 8,000 filled the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center; hundreds took up standing-room-only spots on what would be the ice sheet in the arena on the St. Cloud State University campus.
The first supporters lined up to get in at 2 a.m. As 6 p.m. approached, hundreds — if not thousands — remained outside in muggy 90-degree weather in a line that snaked for blocks. They were either turned away or left on their own to watch the rally on an outdoor screen.
The most popular outfits included flag-themed attire and red MAGA hats, metallic gold shoes and all sorts of campaign T-shirts. One bore an image of the White House and read “Stolen Property,” and another had Trump’s mugshot with the line, “I’m voting for the Convicted Felon.”
Debi Rancour, 68, of St. Michael, Minn., arrived hours early in support of Trump’s views on the Southern border and what she called his faith-based conservatism. “This is on my bucket list. It’s a dream come true,” she said of the rally, her first.
Rancour also said she thinks the 2020 election was stolen, a belief espoused by Trump that has been proved false. “I’ve got a hat right here,” she said. “It says, ‘Trump Won.'”
Her sister, Janet Rancour, 66, of Champlin, said she’s excited for a second Trump term. “We didn’t get to see what Trump could do last time because they were so worried about getting him out,” she said.
Cynthia Gail, 66, a teacher from Albert Lea, said she respects Trump for persisting. “I’m not proud of some of his past but there’s such a thing as forgiveness,” she said. “And nobody else is going to be able to tackle the tasks to protect the United States.”
Despite the energy in St. Cloud, Minnesota Republicans have a steep hill to climb with Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket. A KSTP-TV poll on Friday showed Harris leads Trump by 10 percentage points in the state, a gap larger than Biden had before announcing he was stepping down from the race.
Earlier Saturday, DFLers gathered in St. Paul to hear from Walz before knocking on doors for Harris. As he has done in recent days, the governor sharply targeted the GOP ticket. “This is the beautiful tapestry of America and not one damn stupid red hat amongst you,” he told the crowd of volunteers.
Jumping on the hockey theme, Walz said Trump was “here today in the State of Hockey to complete his trifecta: He lost in ’16; he lost in ’20; he loses in ’24.”
In St. Cloud, Tim Tuuri, 66, of White Bear Lake said he came to see Trump, Vance and GOP-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Royce White. “We just want to be out here with our fellow patriots who love our country,” Tuuri said.
Taylor Hill, 24, of Sartell, Minn., arrived at 6 a.m. and secured a shaded waiting spot, where she set up a tent and card table. “I’m excited to hear [Trump] unfiltered, not through the media,” Hill said. “You can’t get more from the horse’s mouth than here.”
Hill said she knows Trump is divisive, but “in our political climate, we need someone who is decisive and powerful.”
Army veteran Allen Zierden of Albany, Minn., was in line at 11 a.m. He said he’s concerned about the economy and gas prices.
“Trump’s chances of flipping Minnesota are higher than Harris winning the election,” Zierden said, adding that he’d hate to see Walz on the Democratic ticket.
Everett Duckworth drove to St. Cloud from Fargo for his first Trump rally. The 62-year-old said he belongs to the Sons of Liberty, a group that works to increase awareness about the government “infringing on the constitutional rights, freedoms and liberties of its people.” He said he wants to bring the movement to Minnesota.
“It’s so encouraging to see Republicans doing what they need to do to make a difference,” Duckworth said. “If we’re going to do it, it’s going to be this year. I think we’ve got a good shot.”
Michelle Hoeper of Villard, Minn., said she came to the rally “to show people here in Minnesota, maybe even those who are just driving by, that there are more people here that support [Trump], maybe more than they realize.”
Staff writer Kyeland Jackson contributed to this story.
Source link
