Trump Rallies in Montana for Sheehy’s Critical US Senate Race
BOZEMAN—It’s inflation and the border. And the Senate. Former President Donald Trump brought his notoriously energetic rallies to Bozeman Friday night in an at-capacity celebration at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The election has become a referendum on the economy and a failed border policy that’s seen millions enter the country illegally.
But Trump, who is known to electrify crowds with cascades of one-liners as he riffs on his pared-down MAGA agenda focusing on trade and immigration—and Friday in Bozeman was no different — shined the spotlight on another. Montana Senate challenger Tim Sheehy.
In what felt much like a Sheehy rally, Trump and Sheehy highlighted restoration and American achievement and the former President’s agenda, which hinges on Montana in the country’s highest stakes Senate race.
Check out The Big Sky Prospector’s exclusive conversation with Sheehy ahead of Friday’s rally here.
The Story
Trump and Sheehy emphasized legislative support — Trump needs the Senate behind his trade, immigration, and foreign policy platform. Democratic incumbent Jon Tester is a roadblock to the former President’s agenda, and Americans’ quality of life and freedoms, Trump said.
The three-term incumbent Tester, who has voted in lockstep with the Biden-Harris agenda, is now lagging in polls against Sheehy, and, it seems, Montana. Trump carried the state by 20 points in 2016 and 16 points in 2020. He is favored to win Montana with similar double-digit margins.
Tester voted twice to impeach Trump, which Trump made sure to note at Brick Breeden Friday, and against border wall construction, and for permitting male athletes to compete in women’s sports. The vulnerable Tester has been a democratic standby, maintaining his party’s slim Senate majority, and for the appointment of liberal lifetime justices — the impact of which can be generational.
Trump took the stage to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” as he nearly always does. Occupying Brick Breeden already for hours, the capacity crowd erupted.
“I’ve got to like Tim Sheehy a lot to be here,” Trump joked to supporters. Trump’s plane had diverted to Billings after a mechanical issue that day, finishing the trip to Bozeman via motorcade. And given his polling in Montana, Trump needs no help carrying Montana. Instead, he needs Tim Sheehy. Montana will serve as the boon, or block, to Trump’s agenda in the Senate.
“We’ve got to elect Tim!”
“We are going to turn it around very fast,” Trump told the crowd before turning his attention to the Tester-Sheehy contest. Trump attacked the massive ActBlue ad spend on behalf of Tester, which claims “[Tester] supports me, they say he wants to build the wall.”
But, Tester, Trump said, “votes against funding the wall. He votes against our energy agenda. He’s voted in favor of crooked Joe Biden one hundred percent of the time.” Trump continued: “[Tester’s] a radical, left lunatic – just like Kamala.”
Trump focused on domestic crime, second-amendment protections, foreign policy, all weaknesses of Tester’s.
“We need the Senate,” Trump said. A Sheehy victory will likely spell a shift to Republican leadership. Democrats’ narrow majority, of which Tester is on the knife’s edge, has greenlit the Biden administration’s border policy, increased government spending, and
“Starting day one, we will bring competence and common sense back.”
Standing beside President 45 onstage, Sheehy shared his call to action for the crowd: “This fall, we’ve got to send Donald Trump back to the White House, and Jon Tester back to Big Sandy.”
Electric Atmosphere
Montanans hailed from every corner of the state, with lines of attendees waiting to enter through a Secret Service security point snaking through parking lots as far as the eye could see.
The parking lot sprawled with pop-up MAGA boutiques for stickers and tees. Fully-wrapped trucks featured red, white and blue graphics of Trump as American flags flew high throughout the crowd.
Some supporters waited since the early morning for doors to open in the late afternoon. A cavalcade of notables addressed the spirited crowd packed into Brick Breeden leading up to Trump’s appearance: Matt Whitaker, the US Attorney General under President Trump; Troy Downing, the Republican nominee for MT’s 2nd Congressional district; Congressman Ryan Zinke (MT-01); and US Senator Steve Daines.
They spoke to the broken economy wearing on the everyday American, the weaponization of the Department of Justice under the Biden administration, and border policy – including the resulting increasing threat of terrorism and the tragic, lethal consequences of widespread fentanyl distribution. Fentanyl has become a tragic feature of life in Montana.
“Tonight, I want to welcome you to Jon Tester’s retirement party,” Daines opened, met with roaring applause and chants of “USA! USA!”
Daines highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’ record. The Vice President has broken more tied votes in the Senate than any VP in US history — and in each of Harris’ 33 tie-breaking votes, Tester voted in lockstep. With Sheehy now leading Tester, those days could indeed be numbered, if Montanans vote down-ballot as they are inclined to vote at the top of the ticket.
Sporting his black cowboy hat, Congressman Zinke (MT-01) stood at the podium alongside his wife and stated: “This election is not my first rodeo, but it’s the most important election of my life. This is the most important election of our country’s history because it will determine our fate. And Montana will determine our country’s fate in the House, the Senate, and the Presidency.”
Cue Sheehy. Spotted walking in unannounced, and taking a seat near his wife and four children, the Senate hopeful was greeted with a thunderous, standing ovation.
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte approached the podium to deliver a call to action to the crowd: “We need to fire career politician Jon tester” – the governor had to stop for applause – “and send Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy to the Senate.”
Taking the podium, Sheehy highlighted his family’s military service and focused on veterans. “I served as a Navy SEAL, my wife served as a Marine—” and continued after a standing ovation, “all of you did something Jon Tester has never done, and that is put America first.”
While the 2024 election has taken shape as a referendum on the border and the economy, the contest has led to conversation about what philosophically and spiritually is at stake in the November general, in which many Americans feel the soul of the nation is at stake.
Coming from behind to match the energy of a message of restoring America’s greatness and prioritizing its people in government will be an enormous feat for Tester. All the more so, given Trump’s message of reclamation is already set to carry the top of the ticket in Montana.
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