Trump raising funds in Minneapolis; Trump visit to Minnesota gets cold shoulder from Somalis

Published 9:29 am Friday, August 19, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is making his first visit to Minnesota this campaign, but not for any public appearance.

Trump is meeting with wealthy Republican donors to raise money, and doesn’t plan a public rally.

Suggested donations for the Trump event at the Minneapolis Convention Center are $1,000 to $100,000 per couple.

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Federal Election Commission records show Trump has raised about $110,000 in Minnesota, far less than Hillary Clinton’s $2 million.

Trump drew condemnation from some in Minnesota’s large Somali community ahead of his arrival. Jaylani Hussein, director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, criticized Trump for “anti-Muslim and anti-Somali rhetoric.”

Trump visit to Minnesota gets cold shoulder from Somalis

MINNEAPOLIS — GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s visit to Minnesota on Friday is getting the cold shoulder from the state’s Somali community.

They’re upset because Trump targeted the Somali communities in Maine and Minnesota during a speech in Maine this month. He said the U.S. does a poor job of vetting refugees, which he says raises concerns in Minnesota, straining its safety net and creating potential recruiting targets for Islamic terror groups.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations plans a news conference Friday to condemn Trump’s statements.

CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein says Trump’s “anti-Muslim and anti-Somali rhetoric” is sowing divisions and impacting the lives of ordinary Muslims and Somali-Americans.

Trump is coming to Minnesota for a private fundraiser in Minneapolis. The time and venue have not been publicized.