Donald Trump’s fixation on relitigating the 2020 presidential election continues unabated, as evidenced by his recent address to the Minnesota Republican Party‘s annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in St. Paul.
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Trump falsely claimed that he won Minnesota in 2020, repeating the baseless assertion that widespread fraud tainted the election. This delusional thinking has become a hallmark of Trump’s rhetoric, as he seeks to rewrite history and delegitimize his political opponents.
Trump’s comments were met with applause from the Republican faithful, but they belie the reality of the political landscape in Minnesota.
The state has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate in over 50 years, and available polling suggests that Trump faces an uphill battle in his bid to win the state in 2024.
Major independent polls show that Joe Biden had a slim but consistent lead in Minnesota, typically between 2 and 4 percentage points. While Trump campaign officials insist that they can win the state, their claims are not supported by the data.
Trump’s speech in St. Paul was a greatest hits compilation of his favorite talking points, including his calls for a “massive deportation” of immigrants in the country illegally and his promises to construct a new missile defense system.
He also took personal and profane jabs at Biden, a common feature of his recent speeches. Despite the bluster, Trump’s chances of winning Minnesota appear slim, and his fixation on relitigating the past is unlikely to resonate with voters in the state.