Donald Trump is bringing his campaign back to Minnesota — a state that typically leans Democratic but that he believes he can win over this year.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Saturday night, with his running mate JD Vance by his side. There is anticipation that Trump will face Vice President Kamala Harris in November rather than President Joe Biden.
Earlier in the day, Trump spoke at a bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where he outlined his plans to fully support cryptocurrency if elected and vowed to position the U.S. as a “bitcoin superpower.”
In a GOP fundraiser in St. Paul back in May, Trump expressed confidence in his ability to win the state. He specifically appealed to the iron mining range in northeast Minnesota, hoping to sway blue-collar and union workers who have historically voted Democratic.
Trump’s campaign sees Vance, an Ohio senator, as instrumental in reaching out to this group of potential voters due to his background in a Rust Belt city in the Midwest.
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Appealing to Midwesterners and union workers has also placed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the list of potential vice presidential candidates for Harris.
In 2016, Trump came close to defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in Minnesota, falling short by 1.5 percentage points. However, Biden expanded the Democratic win in 2020, beating Trump by over 7 percentage points.
Despite these numbers, Trump remains optimistic about his chances in the state and is actively campaigning there. His campaign is making efforts to establish a strong presence in Minnesota by hiring staff and opening multiple offices.
Lexi Byler, communications director for the Harris campaign in Minnesota, believes that Trump and Vance do not align with the values of Minnesotans and predicts that the state will not swing in favor of a Republican presidential candidate in the upcoming election.
Trump’s rally in St. Cloud will take place at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, an indoor venue where he has chosen to hold events following an assassination attempt in July.
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Trump has expressed his intention to resume outdoor rallies in the future, with enhanced security measures by the Secret Service to ensure safety.
At the bitcoin conference, Trump pledged to establish the U.S. as a global leader in cryptocurrency and create a bitcoin “strategic reserve” using government-held currency. He criticized the Biden administration’s regulatory approach to cryptocurrency and emphasized his support for domestic mining and use of digital tokens.
While Trump had reservations about cryptocurrencies in the past, he has since embraced them and even integrated support for digital assets into the Republican National Committee platform.
In addition, Trump’s campaign began accepting cryptocurrency donations in May.
