President Donald Trump endorses Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and a prominent ally, in Minnesota’s Republican race for governor ahead of the state’s August 11 GOP primary. Multiple outlets report that Trump publicly backed Lindell through a social media post, praising him as a “patriot” and framing his campaign around “election integrity.” Several sources also note that Lindell has promoted discredited claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and that voting systems were rigged.
Local Republican figures and outlets describe pushback from segments of the Minnesota GOP, with Wired reporting that the state GOP is not embracing the endorsement. Other reports emphasize controversy around Lindell’s background and present eligibility issues: Mediaite says Lindell is not even registered to vote in Minnesota for the upcoming primary, while the New York Times similarly reports that he is not registered in the state. The NYT and other coverage describe Lindell as closely tied to the election denial movement and as a leading figure in that network. Sources also describe the timing of the endorsement as coming about a month before the primary in a crowded race.
