Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (OH) and family visited the Park Diner in Waite Park, Minnesota Sunday morning where he was given a hero’s welcome by a cheering crowd of supporters outside and inside the diner.
Vance’s speech at a rally with President Trump in St. Cloud Saturday night where he lit up presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee Kamala Harris for questioning his loyalty to the country went viral overnight with over seven million views.
Kamala Harris questioned my loyalty to America. I enlisted in the Marines for this country. I went to Iraq for this country. I built a business for this country. And my running mate took a bullet for this country. What the hell has Kamala done to question our loyalty to America? pic.twitter.com/WykF5pRY4Y
— JD Vance (@JDVance) July 28, 2024
About one hundred supporters were gathered outside to greet Vance, his wife Usha and their two children as they stopped by for a planned campaign stop, The diner was packed inside with supporters, many of whom had attended the rally the night before.
The Trump campaign is making a play for Minnesota, having come close but falling short in 2016 and losing the state by a larger margin in 2020.
Vance spoke to diners and then with a co-owner and a state GOP donor while the kids drank chocolate milk at the counter. Vance picked up a carryout order and left a $200 cash tip with the Trump campaign message “No Tax on Tips” written above his signature on the receipt.
Photos posted by senior Trump advisor Jason Miller:
#TrumpVance2024 pic.twitter.com/YC6VzBwJ3S
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) July 28, 2024
#TrumpVance2024 pic.twitter.com/FDMNUUnHP1
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) July 28, 2024
.@JDVance says “No Tax On Tips!”#TrumpVance2024 pic.twitter.com/jsos68YIPf
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) July 28, 2024
A few more photos from this morning’s @JDVance diner visit!
Thanks again, Minnesota! #TrumpVance2024 pic.twitter.com/oq9r3e6iIR
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) July 28, 2024
Report by KMSP-TV:
Video from outside the diner posted by Vanshay Murdock:
Raw video from inside the diner posted by WFAA-TV:
Voters liked what they saw in Vance, according to a report by the Minneapolis Star Tribune (excerpt):
Vance, a senator from Ohio, was propelled to the national spotlight two weeks ago when he was named Trump’s vice presidential nominee. At Park Diner in Waite Park, just west of St. Cloud, voters said they like what they are seeing so far.
“I’m very impressed. It’s good to see a young person with good values, good morals, good common sense,” said Ken Cruze, 64, of Sartell. “That’s encouraging for the next generation.”
Joyce Heffron, 67, of Little Falls learned of Vance’s breakfast visit while volunteering at Saturday’s rally at St. Cloud State University. She said she was excited to see Vance’s wife and children join him, saying it epitomized “Midwestern values.”
Heffron said the energy she experienced at the rally — which had a capacity crowd of 8,000 people in the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, as well as hundreds more outside the venue — makes her think the Trump-Vance ticket could turn Minnesota red this fall.
“We’ve never seen this much energy directed toward a candidate,” she said. “This would be the year for them to do it.”
After chatting with folks inside the diner, Vance was cheered on by a group of more than 100 voters gathered outside.
Democrats and their allies in the media have been attacking Vance, trying to undermine him on the ticket by spreading false rumors and running psy-ops like this one by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY):
Leader Schumer: JD Vance was an incredibly bad choice for VP. I know Donald Trump. He is probably watching the TV while every day, Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic. I’ll bet Trump is scratching his head and wondering why he picked him pic.twitter.com/vwyO70MURW
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 28, 2024
Meanwhile support for Vance is growing, according to a poll released Thursday by Morning Consult, “66% of Trump’s 2020 voters hold favorable opinions of JD Vance, up from 38% before his vice presidential selection.”
66% of Trump’s 2020 voters hold favorable opinions of JD Vance, up from 38% before his vice presidential selection https://t.co/uSaB6cuhVO
— Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) July 25, 2024
