Minnesota governor told White House a Trump visit to George Floyd memorial is 'really bad idea'
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - President Donald Trump’s campaign team wanted to have the president visit south Minneapolis Monday during his trip to Minnesota, multiple sources in government and law enforcement say. Gov. Tim Walz says he spent the weekend telling the White House why it was a “really bad idea.”
South Minneapolis is where George Floyd was killed while being detained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. His death led to civil unrest and riots in the days following.
Trump’s team, however, appears to have decided not to stop in south Minneapolis. The president is only expected to do his previously announced campaign event at the regional airport in Mankato, a Walz aide told FOX 9.
But it wasn't just Walz. A law enforcement source told FOX 9 they “begged” the Trump campaign not to visit south Minneapolis nor the neighborhoods where the rioting and looting took place
Alabama man who made trek to Minneapolis on foot overwhelmed by support as he arrived at Floyd memorial
The killing of George Floyd and its aftermath made headlines around the world. One man who saw them lives in Huntsville, Alabama and decided he was going to walk all the way to Minneapolis to pay tribute to Floyd's memory and try to bring people together.
Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson John Elder would not say whether the Trump campaign inquired about visiting south Minneapolis but said there was no begging of them not to, calling that comment ridiculous. He insisted the police department could handle security for the president if they had been asked.
The president is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. at the Mankato Regional Airport before heading to another campaign stop in Oshkosh, Wisconsin Monday night. You can watch that event live at fox9.com/live2
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