Donald Trump is scheduled to give the keynote address at the Minnesota Republican Party's annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner on May 17, the same day he requested off in court to attend his son Barron Trump's graduation ceremony.
On April 30, Judge Merchan, who is presiding over the former president's Stormy Daniels hush money case, announced the court wouldn't sit on May 17, allowing Trump to attend the event. But the former president is also due to speak at the Minnesota GOP event on the same day, according to the KFGO radio station.
Trump is on trial in Manhattan on 34 felony charges, including falsifying business records, related to claims he orchestrated the payment of hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The presumptive 2024 Republican presidential candidate has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies Daniels' claim that he had an affair with her in 2006.
Trump had complained on his Truth Social website that he could be forced to miss the graduation of his "wonderful son" Barron, who attends a private school in Florida, due to the hush money case. Judge Merchan on April 30 said that the court won't sit on this date, commenting: "I don't think May 17 is a problem."
The Republican Party of Minnesota's Lincoln Reagan Dinner, which Trump is hosting along with GOP House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, is taking place on the same day at St. Paul's RiverCentre.
In a statement, Minnesota GOP chair David Hann commented: "We are thrilled to welcome President Trump back to Minnesota to headline our Lincoln Reagan dinner, an annual tradition that reminds us of the roots of our Party and the leaders who have been most impactful in promoting our American values."
The graduation ceremony is due to start in the midmorning, according to fact-checking website PolitiFact. While it is unclear exactly how long it will last Trump, 77, who owns a private jet, may well be able to make it to the dinner and attend both events.
Newsweek contacted representatives of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign for comment at around 2:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday. This article will be updated if they decide to comment.
Speaking to Newsweek, Tray Gober, a trial attorney and managing partner of Lee, Gober & Reyna, said Trump's plan to speak at the Minnesota Republican event showed he is trying to "see how much he can get away with."
He said: "Trump made a big deal about the prospect of missing his son's graduation, and only now is the public learning that he plans to double-book and be the headline speaker at the Republican Party of Minnesota's Lincoln Reagan Dinner on the same day. However, Judge Merchan will likely not say much about the dinner since Trump has the right to campaign for president.
"Barron's graduation ceremony is taking place in the morning while the dinner does not begin until late afternoon, so Trump is surely planning on attending both events. It would not be practical for Judge Merchan to try squeezing in a partial court date after Barron's graduation, so it's inconsequential to the court if Trump attends this dinner.
"However, this is something that Judge Merchan will definitely make a mental note about, even if he doesn't ever make any public statements about it. It just is another example of Trump trying to push the envelope and see how much he can get away with."
Trump's planned appearance at the Minnesota event was condemned by Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic—Farmer—Labor Party, a Democratic Party affiliate.
"Minnesota voters have repeatedly rejected Donald Trump and his efforts to ban abortion, take away their health insurance, and attack our democracy," he said in a statement.
"Republicans up and down the ballot will have to answer for why they are abandoning Minnesota values and kissing Donald Trump's ring."
But Chris LaCivita, an adviser to the 2024 Trump campaign, believes the Republican candidate has a shot at winning the traditionally Democratic state of Minnesota.
"I think that the Biden campaign is deliberately playing a faux game by talking about [how] they're going to expand the map in Florida and North Carolina," he told NBC News on Saturday
"But we have a real, real opportunity in expanding the map in Virginia and Minnesota."
On Monday Judge Merchan fined Trump an additional $1,000 after concluding he had again violated a gag order imposed as part of his trial, and said he would consider sending the Republican firebrand to jail if infractions continue.
The court then heard testimony from Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney and accounts payable supervisor Deborah Tarasoff.
Update 5/8/24, 10:15 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from trial attorney Tray Gober.
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James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
