President Donald Trump took to the stage at Bemidji Aviation Friday evening. The president flew in a 757, which is smaller than the 747.
During his speech, Trump claimed he brought back the Iron Range, which is approximately 100 miles east of Bemidji. Trump did not name Bemidji during his two hour speech, but did mention the Iron Range several times.
Trump also spent a good portion of his stage time discussing his issues with Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as his opponent in the presidential election, Joe Biden.
Trump referenced Biden’s “manifesto” with “Bernie,” and claimed the plan includes increasing refugee resettlement by 700 percent.
According to Joe Biden’s campaign website, the Biden campaign has plans to reverse some of the current administration’s decisions, such as family separation policies at the border, travel bans on Islamic countries and end what they call “mistreatment” of the asylum process. The plan does call for an increase in accepting refugees, from the 18,000 per year currently admitted under the Trump administration, to 125,000.
Beltrami County was one of the first counties to vote “no” on a refugee resettlement action last January.
Trump took to the stage moments before the news broke that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has already said that a Trump nomination to the Supreme Court, as the country is 46 days before the Nov. 3 election, would get a vote on the Senate Floor.
The president also spent at least half an hour discussing how much money the federal government saved on a new Air Force One jet.
Toward the end of the speech, Trump was joined on stage by Congressman Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota), Congressman Jim Hagedorn (R-Minnesota), candidate for Minnesota’s 7th District Michelle Fischbach and Minnesota’s Republican candidate for Senator Jason Lewis.
The crowd at Bemidji Aviation. Thousands were in attendance.
Air Force One 757 flying over Lake Bemidji. Photo courtesy of Eric Callagan.
Air Force One 757 arriving at Bemidji Regional Airport.
