Former President Trump discusses possibilities in Minnesota in a one-on-one interviewFormer President Donald Trump says he knows full well that no Republican presidential candidate has won Minnesota since 1972, but he says he also knows he came close to winning the state in 2016 when he lost to Hillary Clinton by less than 2 percentage points.
“We think we have a very good opportunity in Minnesota,” Trump told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS in an exclusive interview conducted remotely from Trump Tower in New York City. “We have great friendships there. We have done a lot for the industry. We’ve done a lot for everything in Minnesota. He worked hard in Minnesota. Tom Emmer is very involved.”
Sixth District Congressman Tom Emmer and the former president resolved their differences after Trump opposed Emmer’s bid to become speaker of the House of Representatives. Emmer now serves as Trump’s Minnesota campaign chairman.
Trump will headline the Minnesota Republican Party’s Lincoln Reagan fundraising dinner Friday night in St. Paul. He says he will focus comments on the economy at the dinner and during the campaign.
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“The economy is killing everyone,” he says. “Minnesota is a great example of that. “Minnesota is being murdered by inflation.”
Minnesota’s inflation rate is indeed among the 20 states with the highest inflation rates, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. Last month, Minnesota’s inflation rate Minnesota was 3.26%, compared to 2.56% in Wisconsin and 2.97% in Iowa. However, Minnesota’s unemployment rate is 2.7%, the seventh lowest in the country.
Trump wasn’t answering questions specifically about the “hush money” trial now taking place in New York City, but we did ask him if he’s concerned about the impact the trial and the potential guilty verdict could have on his campaign. “It is certainly something that has never been done before in this country. It’s a witch hunt. It is the militarization of the government.”
The trial is undoubtedly having an impact on the way he conducts his campaign for president. He sat down for our interview at Trump Tower in New York City just minutes before leaving for the courthouse for the second day of testimony from his former attorney Michael Cohen.
He had harsh words for the judge in his case. “We have a very conflicted judge. He has tremendous conflict and all that, but in theory, this case shouldn’t even continue.”
Trump was asked if he is bothered by numerous polls indicating that many voters would like to have better options for president, with concerns about Biden’s age and health and Trump’s character and legal problems.
“I hear that question a lot because Democrats raised it. They say we have two unpopular people running, but I’m not unpopular. I’m in the 95% of the Republican Party, which was higher than Ronald Reagan, who was in the 86%. Frankly, I don’t always like that question, because if you look at the polls and see how quickly I got the nomination. “It was the fastest nomination anyone has ever gotten.”
He rejects the idea that he is unpopular. “I don’t think I’m unpopular and I think my policies are very, very popular.”
Although abortion is still considered one of the top three issues in Minnesota in our KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, Trump does not believe the issue will hurt him in Minnesota. “What I was able to do (by appointing conservative Supreme Court justices) was move it back to the states and now the states are going to decide. In the case of Minnesota, they will decide and probably keep the laws (abortion laws) that they have. But the states will decide. “People will vote and this is what people have wanted for 52 years.”
The same poll shows that Trump and Biden are essentially in a tie, with Biden holding a slight lead at 44% to 42%, well within the ±4.3% margin of error. Biden defeated Trump in Minnesota in 2020, 52% to 45%.
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At a rally in Duluth in September 2020, Trump joked that he would not return to Minnesota if he lost the state.
He’ll return Friday when he speaks at the Lincoln Reagan Republican, with tickets on sale for $500 for individuals and up to $100,000 for a table of 10 with photo opportunities.
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