President Donald Trump is headed to Rochester on Friday for a scaled-down rally under Minnesota pandemic restrictions that his campaign called “speech-stifling dictates.”
After drawing thousands at previous rallies in Bemidji and Duluth in defiance of the state’s 250-person limit on public gatherings, the Trump campaign said it had agreed to limit entry at today’s rally at Rochester International Airport.
“Thanks to the free speech-stifling dictates of Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, only the first 250 people will be admitted,” the Trump campaign said.
The event, coming the same day Democratic challenger Joe Biden holds a drive-in car rally at the State Fairgrounds, could look very different from the president’s past visits. The Trump campaign’s announcement of the limited access followed a day of confusion over the location of his event and the size of the gathering.
It was initially planned for the airport, then shifted to McNeilus Steel, a private company in Dodge Center, before moving back to the airport. State officials asked the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Trump campaign for COVID-19 preparedness plans Thursday.
The RNC sent Rochester city officials a plan Friday, which was required as part of their venue rental agreement with airport authorities. It included steps to ensure sick workers stay home and both workers and attendees comply with social distancing and mask requirements.
The RNC’s rental agreement for the airport shows they plan to pay $16,000 to use the space. It states that they agree to abide by Walz’s pandemic emergency executive orders, such as capping outdoor crowds at 250 people.
However, the campaign signed a similar agreement during its rally at Duluth International Airport in September. At that rally, the crowd far exceeded the limits and did not abide by pandemic protocols for social distancing and masks. An outdoor rally in Bemidji last month also drew thousands of people.
The Duluth event was held a couple of days before Trump tested positive for COVID-19.
DFL leaders denied any political motives for the restrictions. Ellison said Thursday that the state had just set its single-day record for the most COVID-19 infections, with 2,900 new cases, and a near-record 32 deaths.
“COVID-19 is not a political statement, it is a deadly virus and the cause of a global pandemic ... For this reason, Governor Walz and I jointly encouraged all campaigns and all Minnesotans to express their political views safely during the election season,” Ellison said in a statement.
The Rochester rally will be the president’s fourth visit to the state this year. He narrowly lost Minnesota to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and has since vowed to end the state’s streak of going Democratic in every presidential election since 1976.
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October 31, 2020 at 01:16AM
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Trump campaign agrees to 'speech-stifling' crowd limit in Rochester - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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