Trump Stands Defiant Despite Minnesota COVID Restrictions: 'They'd Thought I'd Cancel, But I'm Not Canceling'
President Donald Trump defiantly campaigned Friday in the Democratic Party stronghold of Minnesota, despite efforts — which Trump blamed on state leaders — to limit the size of the crowd at his rally.
The official rally at the Rochester airport was capped at about 250 people to comply with state COVID-19 rules, WCCO-TV reported. Hundreds more people who gathered outside the airport were able to see Trump via a live video feed after the president delivered brief in-person remarks to the overflow crowd.
Trump, who is trying to flip a state that last gave its electoral votes to a Republican presidential nominee in 1972, scolded Minnesota leaders for trying to suppress his campaign.
“We’re having a problem with some people in Minnesota where they have a cap because Biden goes there and he can’t draw flies; he can’t draw anybody. Gets a few cars, I guess, and they honk their horn,” Trump told reporters before leaving Washington, D.C., for rallies in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
We are covering President Trump’s rallly in Rochester today. The crowd inside has been capped at 250 so a jumbotron has been set up outside for those who couldn’t get in. #wcco pic.twitter.com/QFsnU3C8Ft
— John Lauritsen (@JDLauritsen) October 30, 2020
“So we have 25,000 people in Minnesota, which is our last stop today. Twenty-five thousand people want to be there. And they say you can only have 250 people,” the president added.
“So they’d thought I’d cancel, but I’m not canceling. And we’ll find out what happens. But we have 25,000 people in Minnesota,” Trump said.
“But they’re angry at Omar. They’re angry at all of this stuff that’s going on in Minnesota. And I think it’s going to flip for the first time since 1972,” he said, referring to progressive Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
During Trump’s rally, he lashed out at Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats.
“We were given a very, very hard time by your so-called leaders, but they’re not very good leaders as you found out during the riots, and we’re going to win four more years at our great White House,” he said.
“As you know, there are at least 25,000 people who wanted to be here tonight. We just saw a lot of them. Wanted to pay our respects. They were here for a long time. They waited and waited, and then the governor did bad things,” Trump added.
“Your far-left Democrat Attorney General, Keith Ellison, and your Democrat governor tried to shut down our rally, silence the people of Minnesota and take away your freedom and your rights. They thought he would cancel — a word they are very familiar with, cancel. Cancel culture. But I said, ‘No way, I will never abandon the people of Minnesota. I will come up. I will come up,'” he said.
“I want to thank the thousands of people outside who were barred from entry by radical Democrats. You are American patriots.”
Trump then criticized Ellison’s treatment of Trump’s supporters.
“When large numbers of rioters and vandals sacked the city of Minneapolis earlier this year, Keith Ellison did not ask them to submit a permit. He told the throngs of violent demonstrators, ‘By all means, exercise your First Amendment rights.’ He said that prior to them ripping down your city,” he said.
“Keith Ellison sided with flag-burning extremists over law-abiding Americans.”
Trump said Ellison treated his supporters “like second-class citizens. He believes that the pro-American voters have fewer rights than anti-American demonstrators. Keith Ellison and Joe Biden want to imprison you in your homes while letting anarchists, agitators and vandals roam free as they destroy your cities and states.”
Trump said his campaign is battling “the arrogant far-left political class.
“They want one set of rules for you and no rules for themselves. Biden and the left-wing Democrats treat law enforcement like criminals, and they treat criminals like heroes. They lecture you on morality while they support sanctuary cities that get innocent Americans robbed, raped, maimed and murdered. They ban you from going to church while they let left-wing extremists burned down the church.”
If he is elected, Democrat Joe Biden will embrace policies that will hurt Americans, Trump said.
“A vote for Joe Biden is a vote to put far-left radicals like Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar and AOC plus three. And gun grabber Beto O’Rourke wants to take your guns away, wants to destroy your Second Amendment,” Trump said.
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