Pence cancels attendance at rally in Minnesota, will travel to Washington state instead
Vice President Mike Pence, right, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis take questions during a Florida Coronavirus Response Meeting, at the West Palm Beach International Airport, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla.[AP Photo/Terry Renna]
Vice President Mike Pence has canceled an appearance at a rally in St. Paul scheduled for Thursday evening.
Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence were set to appear at a "Keep America Great" rally at the InterContinental St. Paul Riverfront hotel Thursday night, but he announced Wednesday that he will be traveling to Washington to meet with Gov. Jay Inslee as COVID-19 spreads in the state. President Donald Trump named Pence to lead the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak last week.
I will be traveling to Washington to meet with Governor @JayInslee tomorrow. We are here for every American and will continue to work with state and local leaders as we protect their health and well-being.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 4, 2020
The event will go on as scheduled, but only Karen Pence will be featured. A "Women for Trump" event that was supposed to take place Thursday in Onalaska, Wisconsin, has been postponed as a result of the Vice President’s travel to Washington.
The Minnesota DFL also announced it was canceling a press conference in response to Pence’s visit.
Tensions rise as U.S. death toll from coronavirus reaches 9