ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — Donald Trump is returning to Minnesota as part of his campaign efforts, targeting a state that has historically leaned towards Democrats but which he believes he can win over this year.
Trump is scheduled to host a rally on Saturday night in St. Cloud, Minnesota, accompanied by his running mate JD Vance, with expectations of facing Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election rather than President Joe Biden.
Earlier in the day, he spoke at a bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee, advocating for the adoption of cryptocurrency in order to prevent other countries from dominating the technology sector.
Back in May, Trump headlined a GOP fundraiser in St. Paul, where he expressed confidence in his chances of winning the state. He emphasized his outreach to the iron mining range in northeast Minnesota, hoping to sway blue-collar and union workers towards the Republican party.
The campaign sees Vance, an Ohio senator with roots in the Rust Belt, as instrumental in reaching out to this demographic of potential voters.
The appeal to Midwesterners and union workers has also positioned Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as a potential running mate for Harris.
While Trump narrowly missed defeating Hillary Clinton in Minnesota in 2016, Biden secured a more significant victory in 2020 by defeating Trump by over 7 percentage points.
Nevertheless, Trump remains optimistic about the state’s prospects.
In a recent memo to the campaign and the Republican National Committee, Trump’s political director highlighted Minnesota as a battleground state where Trump could outperform Biden. The campaign has been expanding its presence in Minnesota with the opening of several offices throughout the state.
Recently, Republican congressional candidate Tayler Rahm joined Trump’s campaign in Minnesota as a senior adviser.
In response, the Harris campaign’s communications director for Minnesota, Lexi Byler, voiced confidence that Trump and Vance are not aligned with the values of Minnesotans and predicted a Democratic victory in the state.
Trump’s upcoming rally in St. Cloud will be held at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, a 5,159-seat arena. Following an assassination attempt in July, Trump has opted for indoor venues, but he announced plans to resume outdoor events with increased security measures.
While previously critical of cryptocurrencies, Trump has now embraced them and even included support for them in the Republican National Committee platform.
Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
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