Update No. 2: Trump rally may be one the move again
Developing news: We are told that plans for Friday's Trump rally at McNeilus Steel in Dodge Center have been scrapped. There are also reports that the Trump campaign is now looking at going back to the original plan and hosting the event at the Rochester airport. We will have another update on this as soon as additional details become available.
Original article: The Trump campaign has decided to move its rally previously scheduled for Friday in Rochester to the nearby town of Dodge Center, Rochester Mayor Kim Norton confirmed Thursday afternoon.
The mayor, who also sits on the city’s Airport Commission, said the Trump campaign notified the airport of its decision earlier in the morning.
Glenn Sylvester, chief operating officer at McNeilus Steel, Inc, later confirmed his company plans to host the president on Friday. He made the announcement in an email to staff, adding that employees will be paid for the day and are encouraged to attend the rally.
“Expectations are for 25,000 people to attend,” wrote Sylvester.
That estimate would be well above the state’s Covid guidelines, which call for events of no more than 250 people. The president’s campaign, however, has repeatedly shunned the restrictions by holding large rallies, including ones in other Minnesota cities that have been linked to outbreaks.
(In an interview Thursday with MPR News, Sylvester stated the company “would enforce social distancing requirements as best they can,” but declined to say whether they would put a limit on crowd size.)
Mayor Kim Norton said the decision to move venues came as a surprise. City officials had been under the impression that an agreement had been reached with the campaign to stay within the state guidelines.
As part of a unique partnership, the airport is owned by the city and managed by a wholly owned subsidiary of Mayo Clinic.
“I think it is safe to say that we were all on the same page in wanting to provide a place for the president — and any campaign — to be able to fly into our community,” Norton said.
Asked whether she felt the Trump campaign decided to move locations to skirt having to reach an agreement with the city, Norton said: “I can’t say for certain, but we are making our decisions and we are asking them to abide by the state guidelines so we could protect people on city property.”
Trump still plans to fly into Rochester International Airport before being escorted to Dodge Center, a small town about 20 minutes west of Rochester.
The rally is one of three scheduled the same day across the Upper Midwest, a region that — particularly in rural areas — is now experiencing a spike in Covid-19 cases.
“I still have concerns, as I have from the beginning, about the spread of Covid,” said Norton. “Having it at another venue doesn’t change the fact that we are at an all-time high for Covid in the area and it could spread.”
The Friday rally will mark the president’s second visit to southern Minnesota since 2018, when he campaigned in Rochester on behalf of Republican congressional candidates.
Meanwhile, the campaign for Joe Biden has announced that the former vice president will also visit Minnesota on Friday. Biden plans to host an afternoon drive-in style campaign event in St. Paul.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
Cover photo courtesy Gage Skidmore / Creative Commons
