ST. CLOUD, MN — Vice President JD Vance abruptly canceled a planned Friday visit to Minnesota, the latest change to Republicans' travel plans in the final days before Tuesday's midterm election.
The White House announced Thursday that Vance, who chairs the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, would come to St. Cloud for an announcement tied to the Trump administration's "War on Fraud." By Thursday evening, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota confirmed the trip was off.
St. Cloud Mayor Jake Anderson told FOX 9 he was not given a reason for the cancellation.
The vice president's office blamed a scheduling change, the Star Tribune reported, and the Federal Aviation Administration no longer lists a VIP movement notice for the St. Cloud airport.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FBI Director Kash Patel, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson were scheduled to lead the 1 p.m. news conference in Vance's place, KSTP reported.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the event was closed to the public.
The announcement came one day after federal and state agents searched two Twin Cities autism centers as part of a Medicaid fraud investigation. Officials have not said whether the searches are connected to Friday's announcement.
Trump created the task force in March, citing fraud in Minnesota social services programs, MPR News reported.
Prosecutors have charged more than 100 people in Minnesota since 2022 in schemes to steal from government social services programs, with the Feeding Our Future case accounting for much of it.
Vance's cancellation came hours after President Donald Trump called off weekend rallies in Kansas and Iowa, both home to competitive U.S. Senate races. The Republican National Committee said Trump would hold tele-rallies instead, pointing to the party's "strong position" in both states. By Friday, a source told CNBC that the Kansas and Iowa rallies were back on.
The network also reported that Trump has held 25 rallies this month, short of the 35-stop blitz he promised, as voter anger over gas prices and the drawn-out war with Iran has dragged his approval rating to record lows.
Republicans could lose control of Congress on Tuesday, according to CNBC.
Trump has campaigned mostly in states where Republicans usually win, while Democrats have capitalized on voter discontent over rising costs and the war, Bloomberg reported.
Trump, for his part, has projected confidence. After a Thursday rally in South Carolina, he told reporters, "We are going to have a strong Tuesday night," according to Reuters.
In Minnesota, voters are casting ballots at a rapid clip. More than 202,000 ballots were cast in the first four weeks of absentee voting, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office. Early voting runs through Monday, Nov. 2.
Minnesota does not register voters by party, so early turnout alone does not show which side has the edge.
Democrats have leaned hard into early voting this cycle, though Republicans say they're urging supporters to vote early too.
Minnesotans will decide races for governor, U.S. Senate, Congress and attorney general on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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