Republican vice president Senator JD Vance (OH) and family visited the Park Diner in Waite Park, Minnesota, Sunday morning, where they were given a hero’s welcome by many supporters outside and inside the restaurant.
Vance’s speech at a public meeting with President Trump in St. Cloud on Friday night where he highlighted the rise of presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris to question loyalty to the country became viral overnight with over seven million views.
Kamala Harris questions my loyalty to America. I enlisted in the Marines for this country. I went to Iraq for this country. I am building a business for this country. And my friend is walking to take a bullet for this country. What has Kamala done to question our loyalty to America? pic.twitter.com/WykF5pRY4Y
— JD Vance (@JDVance) July 28, 2024
About a hundred supporters 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.
Trump’s campaign made a play for Minnesota, coming close but failing in 2016 and losing the state by a larger margin in 2020.
Vance spoke to the guests and then to the co-owners and state GOP donors while the kids drank chocolate milk at the counter. Vance picked up the carryout order and left a $200 cash tip with the Trump campaign message “No Tax on Tips” written above the signature on the receipt.
Photo posted by Trump senior adviser 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 said “No Tax On Tips!”#TrumpVance2024 pic.twitter.com/jsos68YIPf
– Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) July 28, 2024
A few more photos from this morning @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 restaurant posted by Vanshay Murdock:
Raw video from inside the restaurant 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 thrust into the national spotlight two weeks ago when he was named Trump’s running mate. At the Park Diner in Waite Park, west of St. Cloud, voters said they like what they see so far.
“I was very impressed. It’s good to see young people with good values, good morals, good minds,” 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 a public meeting Friday at St. Cloud State University. He said he’s glad to see Vance’s wife and children join him, saying they share “Midwestern values.”
Heffron said the energy he experienced at the rally — which held a capacity crowd of 8,000 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, as well as hundreds more outside the venue — made him think the Trump-Vance ticket could turn Minnesota red this fall.
“We’ve never seen so much energy directed at a candidate,” he said. “This is going to be the year for him to do it.”
After talking to people inside the restaurant, Vance was cheered by a group of more than 100 voters outside.
Democrats and their allies in the media have attacked Vance, trying to discredit him by spreading false rumors and psy-ops like this one by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY):
Schumer Leader: JD Vance is an excellent choice for VP. I know Donald Trump. They might be watching TV when every day, Vance does something more extreme, weirder, more erratic. I’ll bet Trump is scratching his head and wondering why he voted for him pic.twitter.com/vwyO70MURW
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 28, 2024
Support for Vance is growing, according to a poll released Thursday by Morning Consult, “66% of Trump 2020 voters have a favorable opinion of JD Vance, up from 38% before the vice presidential election.”
66% of Trump 2020 voters have a favorable opinion of JD Vance, up from 38% before the vice presidential election https://t.co/uSaB6cuhVO
– Morning Consultation (@Morning Consultation) July 25, 2024
