BOZEMAN — Thousands of people filled the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman on Friday night for a campaign rally with former President Donald Trump.
Trump made an appearance in Montana to support Republican candidates, particularly Tim Sheehy, who is running in the nationally watched race for U.S. Senate. His speech initially focused on his presidential campaign, but tensions rose in the latter part of the speech as he shifted his focus to the Senate race and Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.
Trump took the stage around 9:30 p.m., approximately 90 minutes after his scheduled speaking time. His plane landed in Billings after a mechanical issue, and he then flew to the West Yellowstone area before a motorcade transported him to Bozeman.
“I spent the whole day travelling across your state,” Trump mentioned. “Everything’s two hours: ‘When will we arrive?’ ‘Two hours, sir, two hours.’ I must really like Tim Sheehy to be here.”
MTN News
Trump also mentioned in a social media video that he participated in fundraising events during his time in Montana.
Throughout his speech, Trump touched on various topics he often discusses, such as opposing illegal immigration, concerns about crime, his belief in the loss of U.S. respect globally, and his disapproval of policies regarding transgender athletes. He began by strongly criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris for being “dangerously liberal” and holding responsibility for the Biden administration’s policies.
“We need another four years,” Trump responded to a crowd chant. “We won’t have a country left without another four years.”
Jessica Nelson
Friday’s rally marked Trump’s first gathering since Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Trump criticized Walz for his handling of the 2020 protests in Minneapolis and his endorsement of progressive legislation as governor.
“I’m not talking about him, I’m talking about her – this is her ideology, that’s why she picked him,” he mentioned.
Trump then shifted focus to Tester, accusing him of misrepresenting himself as a moderate and a supporter of certain priorities like border security.
“He’s portrayed as liking your policy stance,” Trump commented. “He doesn’t – he’s a radical left lunatic, just like Kamala.”
Trump also made personal remarks, including comments about Tester’s weight.
“I don’t criticize someone’s physical appearance, but he has the biggest stomach I’ve ever seen,” he remarked.
Trump then invited U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former White House doctor and his nominee for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2018, to join him on stage. Jackson withdrew his nomination amid allegations of professional misconduct, with Tester being a critic. Trump’s dissatisfaction with Tester’s handling of the nomination was one of the reasons for his multiple campaign rallies in Montana during Tester’s 2018 reelection campaign.
During the rally, Jackson defended himself against the allegations and expressed his eagerness to campaign against Tester.
“We’re going to bring Tim Sheehy to the Senate to replace the swamp hippopotamus, Jon Tester,” he declared.
A federal inspector general’s report acknowledged evidence supporting some accusations against Jackson, but Jackson contested the report’s conclusions.
MTN News
In response to Trump’s rally, Tester’s campaign issued a statement.
“Jon Tester is proud of the work that he did with President Trump to deliver for Montana’s veterans, crack down on waste and fraud in the federal government, and help secure the southern border,” said spokesperson Harry Child. “Jon’s strong record is why earlier this week, Montana Republicans from across the state – from elected officials to business owners to Trump voters – endorsed Jon in his campaign for Senate.”
While not directly addressing the remarks about Tester’s weight, they shared a link on the social media platform X on Saturday, selling T-shirts reading “Big Sky Country is Big Guy Country.”
During his speech on Friday, Trump acknowledged Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Sid Daoud in the audience and hinted that Daoud might withdraw from the race to endorse Sheehy.
“Many of us lean Libertarian, and I think he’s going to give you a pleasant surprise soon,” he suggested.
Daoud mentioned to MTN that he had not made a decision to drop out. He noted that Republican leaders had invited him to the rally and that he had conversed with Sheehy and Trump at the event. While he didn’t rule out further discussions about his candidacy, he emphasized the importance of progress from Sheehy on Libertarian priorities regarding foreign military intervention and federal debt concerns.
In previous elections, Libertarians received more votes than the margin of victory for Tester in two of his Senate races. In 2018, Libertarian candidate Rick Breckenridge withdrew shortly before the election to endorse Republican Matt Rosendale. Despite this, Tester won the majority of votes in that race.
In a conversation with MTN on Friday, Sheehy expressed that with the ongoing presidential election, he wasn’t anticipating Trump’s return to Montana for another campaign visit this year – but he stated he would be glad to welcome him back if he did return.
