Donald Trump, JD Vance chase Harris for packed house at first joint rally in Minnesota

ST. CLOUD — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance railed against Vice President Kamala Harris during their first joint appearance in Minnesota on Saturday, portraying the presumptive Democratic nominee as a failure and mocking her for everything from her role as San Francisco’s district attorney to her laugh.

Trump said voters would reject Harris’ “crazy liberal extremism” in a “huge landslide.” He and Vance have repeatedly called her the “border czar” and blamed her for the migrant crisis at the country’s southern border. If elected, Trump said, Harris would “kill Social Security and Medicare” while exacerbating inflation.

Trump said that under the Democrats the United States would face “four more years of weakness, chaos and likely World War III” while he would bring back “leadership, competence, common sense and strength.”

A capacity crowd of 8,000 filled the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, with hundreds more standing room on what would become the ice sheet at St. Cloud State University’s arena. Thousands more who couldn’t get in watched the speech on a large screen outside the arena and cheered wildly as Trump called out to them several times.

Both Trump and Vance have repeatedly railed against “illegal aliens” and complained about the media and the last election. They offered few policy proposals of their own, other than to “overfund the police” instead of defunding them, and have indicated that they will portray Harris in the campaign as overly friendly to criminals.

Trump called Harris a “radical left-wing nutcase” and said “her big thing” is to “dismantle the police.” Harris has not advanced that position since the 2020 movement, and Trump said she should be held accountable for her initial support: “Politicians don’t change,” he said.

The crowd began chanting “USA!” and “Fight, fight, fight” at regular intervals during the event. Although President Joe Biden has withdrawn from the race, he has been widely criticized by Trump, ranging from the way the president speaks to the way he navigates stairs.

Rally participants were lining up to get in as early as 2 a.m. When the doors closed before 6 p.m., hundreds, if not thousands, of people remained outside in the oppressive 90-degree heat.

Trump and Vance used similar lines of attack on Harris, including her endorsement of the Minnesota Freedom Fund after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, accusing her of freeing dangerous criminals. The Minneapolis-based nonprofit pays criminal and immigration bail for people in jails and detention facilities in the Twin Cities.

Trump’s speech lasted more than an hour and rehashed some of his favorite talking points of late, including a reference to the fictional movie cannibal Hannibal Lector.

He said Democrats and the media are trying to make Harris into the late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. He said, however, “Thatcher didn’t laugh like that?” And he called Harris “a dangerous person who is not clever.”

Vance, who spoke first, was greeted with loud applause as he began 20 minutes of speeches. The Ohio senator spoke about how Trump had “wiped out the debate stage” with Biden in June, then attacked the media. As the crowd booed the media, Vance said, “They deserve it.”

He said the media focused on Biden’s shortcomings and are now trying to portray Harris as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, when in reality she is an “admitted member of the San Francisco lunatic gang.”

Vance said Harris holds “every failure” of the Biden administration accountable, repeatedly calling her the “border czar” who would give free health care and college tuition to illegal immigrants. “She wants to hand control of our country to people who shouldn’t be here in the first place,” he said.

Vance then addressed those he referred to as “illegal aliens” directly, saying, “Start packing your bags now.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., warmed up the crowd, raving about the GOP turning Minnesota red in the presidential election for the first time since 1972. The House Speaker nudged Gov. Tim Walz, who is reportedly on the short list to join Harris on the ticket.

The most popular outfits included flag-themed clothing and red MAGA hats, metallic gold shoes, and a variety of campaign T-shirts. One featured a picture of the White House and the words “Stolen Property,” while another featured Trump’s arrest photo with the caption “I’m voting for the Convicted Felon.”

Debi Rancour, 68, of St. Michael, Minn., arrived hours early to support Trump’s positions on the southern border and what she called his faith-based conservatism. “This is on my bucket list. It’s a dream come true,” she said of the rally.

Cynthia Gail, 66, a teacher from Albert Lea, said she respects Trump for persevering. “I’m not proud of some of his past, but there is such a thing as forgiveness,” she said. “And no one else is going to be able to take on the responsibilities of protecting the United States.”

Despite the energy of the crowd in St. Cloud, Republicans in Minnesota face a steep climb with Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket. A KSTP-TV poll on Friday showed Harris ahead of Trump by 10 percentage points in the state, a wider gap than Biden had before he announced he was dropping out of the race.

Earlier Saturday, DFLers gathered in St. Paul to hear Walz before knocking on doors for Harris. The governor took aim at the GOP ticket. “This is the beautiful tapestry of America and not one damned dumb red hat among you,” he told DFL volunteers.

In St. Cloud, Tim Tuuri, 66, of White Bear Lake, said he came to see Trump, Vance and GOP-backed U.S. Senate candidate Royce White. “We just want to be here with our fellow patriots who love our country,” Tuuri said.

Taylor Hill, 24, of Sartell, Minn., arrived at 6 a.m. and found a shady waiting spot, where she set up a tent and a card table. Hill said she knows Trump is divisive, but “in our political climate, we need someone who is bold and powerful.”

Michelle Hoeper of Villard, Minnesota, said she came to the rally “to show the people here in Minnesota, maybe even the ones who are just driving by, that there are more people here who support (Trump), maybe more than they realize.”

Editor Kyeland Jackson contributed to this story.