House Majority Whip Tom Emmer joined Liz Collin Reports from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where he spoke about how the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has created a different “vibe” at the convention this week.
He also discussed the investigation into what took place on Saturday in Pennsylvania, Trump’s pick for vice president, early voting, and if Minnesota is really in play for Trump in November.
“There definitely is a vibe that, you know, I’ve been going to these conventions, I was at the one in St. Paul in 2008. I was in Tampa in 2012. I was in Cleveland in ‘16 … This has a totally different feel,” Congressman Emmer said.
“The unity is here, but there’s also a certain gratefulness. People are grateful that the good Lord kept Donald Trump safe on Saturday. That failed assassination attempt, I shudder to think what the world would have looked like Sunday morning … I think he realizes how big this is when somebody tries to take his life just because of what he believes and what he’s fighting for. I think that’s going to make a big difference … as we move to the Nov. 5 election,” he added.
On assassination attempt
Emmer, who spoke at the RNC Tuesday night, said he has “communicated with the president” since the assassination attempt.
During the RNC, Rep. Tom Emmer had strong words to say about the impact soft-on-crime policies have on Minnesotans. pic.twitter.com/7xn6SAyt7q
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) July 17, 2024
On Saturday, Emmer was at the hospital with his wife where they were awaiting the birth of their fourth grandchild when the news broke.
“My initial reaction was, ‘Oh, thank God he’s all right.’ My next reaction was this is what makes him so special. This is a one in 100-year leader. You only get a personality like this, if you’re lucky, once a century. Donald Trump standing up after being shot and putting his fist in the air defiantly to show everybody not only here in America that he was okay, but around the world that he’s okay and then saying he’s gonna fight, we’re gonna fight,” Emmer said.
On Tuesday, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said she has no plans to resign in the wake of the attempted assassination. Alpha News asked Emmer if he supports calls for Cheatle to be fired.
“I think it’d be too easy to say, somebody just needs to lose their job and then we’ll be OK. No, I think we’ve got to find out what happened, why it happened, and we’ve got to make sure not only that people are held accountable for anything they didn’t do, their failures, but we’ve got to make sure it never happens again … I’m just not one to jump to the conclusion before I know all the facts. There are serious questions here … if it’s true that the Secret Service agents around Trump were asking, requesting additional assets for maybe six months before this happened and were denied, if that’s true, pretty damning on the Biden administration, in my opinion,” Emmer said.
On VP pick JD Vance
Emmer called Trump’s choice of Sen. JD Vance “a great pick” for vice president.
“In an era where all these candidates are in their later years, you now have the youth of the 21st century that is going to be part of this ticket … it’s not just that. It’s not just that he’s 39, about to be 40 years old. It’s that he is the American story. This is a guy who came from very modest means and made himself into an American success story and told his story, put it on paper,” Emmer said.
“I think those things combined with the fact that I like him because he is the first vice presidential or presidential candidate in the history of our country that owns Bitcoin. I think that talks to an age group 18 to 40 in this country that that’s where they’re living. They’re living in the internet and this is the next iteration of the internet,” he added.
On Trump’s chances in Minnesota
Congressman Emmer appeared with Trump at a fundraiser in St. Paul in May where they told the crowd with confidence that the state could very well elect a Republican president for the first time since 1972.
“We’re much more closely divided though than people think. Just because you have Democrats in the governor’s office and controlling the legislature, don’t for a second think that this is all a blue state. There’s a lot of people who understand the damage that has been done by this administration,” Emmer said.
He also reminded people that Trump came within a point and a half of winning Minnesota in 2016.
“You know what’s changed since then? Failed Democrat leadership has been upfront and personal, especially in Minnesota, where they blew through $17 to $18 billion in surplus. They added another, what, $9.5 billion in taxes and new fees. Then, they passed laws that were so radical … it’s just crazy, I think Minnesotans, we believe in fairness,” Emmer said.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin has been a truth-teller for 20 years as a multi-Emmy-Award-winning reporter and anchor. Liz is a Worthington, Minnesota native who lives in the suburbs with her husband, son and loyal lab.
