Trump Makes Final Case at Rochester Rally Before Election

President Donald Trump made his final campaign stop in Minnesota Friday, speaking to fans at a  rally at the Rochester International Airport. 

This trip was just four days before Election Day, against Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

Minnesota State University, Mankato first-year graduate student Aaron Timm, who is also a Rochester resident, saw the significance of the president’s rally visit.

“I think it was very strategized in terms of Rochester being a very diverse place. He’s trying to get the minorities to vote for him. I’m not sure if it’ll help him, but it was a smart move on his part,” Timm stated.

Shortly before Trump landed at the airport, Minnesota 1st Congressional District candidate Jim Hagedorn took the stage to welcome the presidential candidate. To get the crowd into spirit and to pinpoint his campaign promises, Hagedorn stated, “Me and fellow Republicans will help secure our borders and lower taxes,” to which the crowd cheered in support.

When talking about President Trump, Hagedorn ensured the crown of all of the great things he has done and will continue to do if re-elected on Tuesday.

“He fights harder than any other president. Let’s fight with him and re-elect him into office!”

At approximately 6:05 p.m. after visiting hundreds of supporters outside the hanger, Trump walked on stage to his campaign favorite song “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood with the crowd cheering him on. 

To begin his speech, Trump dived right into discussion about the riots that have taken place following the killing of George Floyd, along with many other Black Americans, and the Black Lives Matter movement. 

“We’re not just running against sleepy Joe Biden, we’re running against the arrogant far-left, political class. They want one set of rules for you and no rules for themselves,” Trump stated while talking about riots and the police force. 

Timm discussed how Rochester has responded to the upcoming election throughout the past few weeks with, “It’s been good in terms of being peaceful. Of course, there is a lot of tension between the two parties. You can feel the tension more than see it. It’s not so much that people are protesting or defacing properties.”

Jumping to the topic of voters in Minnesota, Trump reminded the audience how the state of Minnesota hasn’t voted for a Republican candidate since 1972, when Richard Nixon was running for president. He stated how this state has been run poorly and, with his second term of presidency, he will help make it great again. Recent polls from RealClearPolitics state that Biden leads Trump in Minnesota by 4.7 percentage points, making everyone unsure of how the election will turn out.

Timm further explained his response to Trump’s visit by saying, “With how diverse Rochester is, it’s one of those places I don’t think Trump can win. I understand him coming, but I feel like it’s one of those cities that have already won.”

Despite gathering into large crowds during a global pandemic, Trump briefly covered the issues in regard to COVID-19. He reassured the audience about a vaccine that is being worked on and will be available to the public come post-election. 

“As we are rounding the turn on the pandemic, with or without the vaccine, we have the vaccine, it’s going to come. But even without it, we’re rounding the turns.” 

For his second term, Trump highlighted some key policies that he will focus on, including those with the police force and those he identifies as criminals.

“We will increase funding for law enforcement. We will hire more tough on crime prosecutors to put violent offenders behind bars. We will finish it with the war against MS-13 killers. We will completely dismantle ANTIFA, and we will reclaim our streets for law-abiding Americans of every race, color, religion, and creed.”

Trump directed towards the crowd, saying, “I am asking you, go out on November 3, and vote for your favorite president,” with the people chanting in response, “four more years!”

Throughout the remaining days before the election, Trump will make appearances in neighboring states Wisconsin and Iowa, along with many others.

The most controversial may be his visit to Kenosha, WI, on November 2, only 40 days after the killing of Jacob Blake. With many Trump supporters already parading around the larger cities in Wisconsin, this rally is sure to bring together crowds of both Trump and Biden supporters.

“There’s only one way to defend your dignity, there’s only one way to defend your family and your country. There’s only one way to preserve, protect and defend the American way of life. You must show up and vote on November 3,” Trump stated in his speech to encourage people to show up to the polls and vote.