Trump, Vance to visit Minnesota this weekend

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Former President Donald Trump and his running mate in the 2024 election, Sen. JD Vance , are set to visit central Minnesota this weekend.

Trump and Vance will make a stop in St. Cloud on Saturday, their campaign announced Tuesday. They will appear at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center at 7 p.m. According to a release, their speeches will focus on economics, "law and order" and illegal immigration.

Trump announced Vance as his running mate last week at the Republican National Convention, days after the former president survived an assassination attempt .

The visit comes in the wake of President Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 race. Since his announcement, Vice President Harris has already broken a fundraising record , locked down hundreds of delegates and secured critical endorsements in her efforts to become the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

Before Mr. Biden's announcement, at least two political ratings analysts downgraded his chances of winning Minnesota in 2024. Both the Cook Report and Larry Sabato have moved Minnesota from "likely Democratic" to "leaning Democratic." Minnesota has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972 .

Mr. Biden won Minnesota in 2020, earning 52% of the vote and beating Trump by more than 233,000 votes. Trump visited Minnesota several times ahead of the 2020 election and vowed never to return if he lost the state . He last visited in May of this year to headline the state GOP's annual Lincoln Reagan dinner .