Trump Jr. rallies for Montana GOP at Fairgrounds
Donald Trump Jr. brought his “Montana Victory Tour” to Kalispell Saturday morning in a campaign stop for Montana’s Republican Congressional candidates at the Northwest Montana Fairgrounds Expo building.
The president’s oldest son was accompanied by his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former attorney and Fox News personality, for the tour that is scheduled to make eight stops in two days across Montana to campaign for Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte also made appearances along with Matt Rosendale, the GOP candidate hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., in the Nov. 6 election.
Hundreds attended the rally inside the Expo as the Barncrafts craft show went on nearby.
Tester was a frequent target of the assembled speakers.
Guilfoyle characterized him as a “reckless teenager with the checkbook on a Friday night.”
Trump Jr. commented that Tester was a “swamp creature” and brought up Tester’s opposition to the nomination of President Trump’s personal physician, Ronny Jackson, to lead the Veterans Administration. Tester effectively blocked Jackson’s nomination after allegations arose surrounding the doctor’s conduct, drawing the continued ire of President Trump.
“He (Tester) is not being held accountable for what happened to Ronny Jackson and it’s disgusting,” said Trump Jr.
Rosendale, the current auditor for Montana, is a former member of the Montana Legislature who began his political career by representing House District 38 in the Glendive area in 2010.
“You sent me to Helena to reduce taxes and spending and protect our gun rights, and I did,” Rosendale said.
He asked the partisan crowd if it was ready to send Tester home, to which it enthusiastically replied with cheers and applause.
“We need less of D.C. in Montana and more of Montana in D.C.,” the former Maryland-based real estate developer, who moved to Montana in 2002, told the crowd.
All of the speakers implored the audience to vote and “take a friend to vote.”
Ronald Johnson, 69, of Coram, who is a veteran of the Vietnam War, said he voted for Trump in 2016 and was excited to be at Saturday’s event.
“There was no way I was going to miss this,” Johnson said. “I went to the rally in Missoula, too.”
Johnson is a supporter of building a wall along the Mexican border because he believes it make the U.S. a safer country.
“We do need to build this wall, if for no other reason to get the drugs, guns and human trafficking out of this country,” Johnson said. “We need to get this right. I’ve seen what drugs can do, it’s tearing up Montana and this country.”
Supporters of Tester held signs across the street from the fairgrounds and reportedly rallied in Depot Park.
Two Tester supporters, Nancy Horne, of Kila, and Diane Gregerson, of Kalispell, said they had tickets for the event, but were asked to leave the building because the event was a private party.
“He said it was a private party and he escorted me out. I asked him how it could be a private party if all you had to do was get a ticket, which we both did,” Horne said. “It wasn’t advertised as a private event. It felt very oppressive to me. I wanted to hear what they had to say.”
The midterm election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 406-758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.