BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Donald Trump's plane was diverted on its way to Bozeman, Montana, due to a mechanical issue but landed safely in nearby Billings, according to a staff member at the Billings airport.
The former president was heading to Bozeman for a Friday night rally in support of Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
Trump's campaign posted a video of him upon landing in which he said he was glad to be in Montana but did not mention anything about the landing.
Donald Trump was visiting Montana on Friday hoping to remedy some unfinished business from 2018, when he campaigned repeatedly in Big Sky Country in a failed bid to oust incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
Trump's only rally this week will be in a state he won by 16 percentage points four years ago rather than a November battleground. Facing new pressure in the race from a candidate with surging enthusiasm, Trump on Thursday called questions about his lack of swing state stops “stupid."
“I don’t have to go there because I’m leading those states,” he said. “I’m going because I want to help senators and congressmen get elected.”
He will add on fundraising stops in Wyoming and Colorado.
Trump could be decisive in Montana's Senate race
Friday's rally at Montana State University, which starts at 8 p.m. Mountain time, is expected to draw thousands of GOP supporters.
Republicans have been on a roll in Montana for more than a decade and now hold every statewide office except for Tester’s.
Trump’s drive to oust Tester traces back to the lawmaker’s work in 2018 as chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Friday's rally takes place in Gallatin County.
