Trump rally scheduled for June 15 at Capitol, but former president not expected

Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump gestures to supporters after speaking during a Get Out The Vote rally at Winthrop University on February 23, 2024 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. A Trump rally is planned for the Capitol in North Dakota, but the former president is not expected to attend, an organizer says. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

A rally in support of former President Donald Trump will take place on the steps of the Capitol in North Dakota on June 15.

Organizer Kevin Hunter said Trump likely won’t attend, but the former president’s campaign staff has indicated they may send a surrogate.

The rally is also in support of gubernatorial candidate Michael Coachman and his running mate Lydia Gessele. The pair perform as independents.

Speakers who will appear include:

• Coachman and Gessele

• Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center

• Jerol Gohrick, president of North Dakota Sons of Liberty

• Charles Tuttle, who has sought both state and congressional office as an independent

“We have also been contacted by U.S. Senator Rick Scott and Senator Tim Scott, both of whom have been invited to speak on behalf of Trump,” Hunter said.

The meeting will last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., he said. Organizers expect a crowd of about 2,500 people, according to a form filed with the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget.

Hunter said he hasn’t heard anything about whether Gov. Doug Burgum — believed to be a contender for vice president or a Cabinet position if Trump is re-elected — will be in attendance.

“I think it’s always possible that he would do that if he contacted me and asked for that opportunity,” Hunter said of Burgum.

Hunter, a Williston resident, is an auto sales consultant. His YouTube channel, The Homework Guy, has more than 430,000 subscribers.

The rally is scheduled for the same day as Capital Pride’s vendor show, which was scheduled to take place in a Capitol parking lot. Hunter said this was not the intention; Organizers only wanted the rally to take place after the June 11 primary since Coachman and Gessele are running as independents.

“We thought it was a good idea to do this as soon as possible after the primaries,” he said.

A post on the Facebook page of Dakota OutRight, the Bismarck-based nonprofit that organizes Capital Pride, indicates it plans to move the vendor fair due to concerns about logistical issues.

The post-Trump rally was scheduled for June 15 at the Capitol, but the former president did not make his first appearance on the North Dakota Monitor.