Minnesota News Network

President Donald Trump is firing up Republican supporters in Minnesota after a sold-out campaign rally at the Amsoil Arena in Duluth.  The president greeted the crowd of more than 83-hundred Wednesday night by saying, “I hate to bring this up–but we came this close to winning the state of Minnesota, and in two and a half years it’s going to be really easy I think.”  Trump touched on a number of topics including the economy, immigration and his meeting with North Korea’s leader.  He threw his support behind the Iron Range steel industry and mining in northeastern Minnesota.  President Trump essentially endorsed 8th District Republican congressional candidate Pete Stauber, telling the crowd, “Pete’s a great guy…You’ve got to get Pete a victory.”  G-O-P Senate candidate Karin Housley said,” the liberal media keeps talking about some blue wave, but seeing everybody here tonight, I wouldn’t be too sure about that. I’m seeing an even bigger red wave.”  Many times during President Trump’s speech the crowd chanted “build that wall, build that wall.”  A few protesters were removed from the arena.

President Trump highlighted his actions to curtail foreign steel dumping during a roundtable with elected officials and business leaders tonight (Wed) in Duluth.  The president said,  “They were dumping steel into our country — like dumping it, dumping it, dumping it. And people said, oh, that’s terrible. But where it’s really terrible is after you lose all your steel industry, and after you lose all your aluminum industry, then they set any price they want because you’re gone.”

Excessive government regulation was also on elected officials’ and business leaders’ minds at the roundtable meeting. Saint Louis County Commissioner Keith Nelson told the president, people in northeastern Minnesota are sick and tired of bureaucrats telling them what they can do with lands they cherish:  “So Mr. President, when you get back inside that Beltway out there, stay on top of those regulations,” he told Trump, who responded, “We will.”  Nelson continued, “Get ’em off our back even more, and I promise you this Iron Range will make this country proud.”  Trump echoed, “So, what you’re saying is you don’t need the bureaucrats from D-C to come and tell you how to take care of your beautiful lakes and rivers — and nobody has more than you do…. I agree with that 100 percent.”

And applause erupted when the president told the roundtable, “For our next campaign we have a new slogan which — I think we can’t use ‘Make America Great Again’ because that would be like, gee, we didn’t do it the first time. It’s gonna be very simple: ‘Keep America Great’, because that’s what we’re doing. Keep America Great.”

Trump didn’t win Minnesota in 2016, but he told a rally at AMSOIL Arena that will change when he runs for re-election in 2020.

 

Here’s a portion of the roundtable:

 

Former Governor Tim Pawlenty, who’s running for a third term, tweeted a “Welcome to MN” to President Donald Trump but apparently will not be in Duluth for tonight’s rally. Pawlenty added, “Proud to have my running mate [Lieutenant Governor] Michelle Fischbach greet you when you landed and thankful to you for protecting our borders, lowering taxes, trying to reduce health care costs, and more. Enjoy your time in the North Star State.”

 

Governor Mark Dayton is the latest politician calling on President Trump to end the “zero-tolerance” immigration policy separating children from their parents at the U-S border. Dayton says he will refuse to deploy Minnesota National Guard personnel, equipment or resources to assist with immigration enforcement “until the Trump Administration stops its immoral and un-American ripping apart of immigrant families.” Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is being criticized for sending two dozen Guard members to the Arizona-Mexico border.