Trump Endorses MyPillow’s Lindell for Minnesota Governor

Trump gives pillow entrepreneur Mike Lindell a full endorsement for the 2026 Minnesota governor's race, according to a repost shared on Truth Social.

First Published: July 21, 2026, 7:55 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump has given Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and prominent 2020 election skeptic, his full endorsement to run for governor of Minnesota, according to a repost circulated on Trump’s account.

The endorsement, described as a “COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT,” surfaced through a post by Bo Loudon, a 19-year-old pro-Trump influencer with more than 1.3 million followers across platforms, according to boloudon.org. The message said the two men met the night before the announcement.

“President Trump was with the incredible @realMikeLindell last night after Trump gave Mike his “COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT” to become Governor of Minnesota, Let’s go,Mike Lindell!”

Here is the full post on Truth Social: “President Trump was with the incredible @realMikeLindell last night after Trump gave Mike his “COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT” to become Governor of Minnesota, Let’s go,Mike Lindell!” on July 21, 2026 at 11:45 PM ET.

This is the first message released by Trump today. On average, Trump produces roughly 27 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.

The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 97 of his 472 posts over the last 30 days focused on elections.

The endorsement raises the stakes in a state that has not elected a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty won reelection in 2006. Lindell built MyPillow into a national retail brand before becoming one of the loudest voices questioning the 2020 election result. He would carry both name recognition and controversy into a contest Republicans have struggled to win. A Trump endorsement typically consolidates primary support, narrowing the field and pressuring rivals to fall in line.

Minnesota has leaned Democratic in statewide races for two decades, giving its electoral votes to Democratic presidential candidates in every election since 1972. That history makes a Republican gubernatorial bid an uphill effort, and a nationally polarizing candidate could either energize the party base or repel moderate voters in the Twin Cities suburbs that decide close races.

For an average Minnesota voter, the endorsement signals the shape of the coming campaign. A Lindell candidacy would center the race on Trump-aligned themes, from election administration to cultural disputes, and would draw national attention and money into what is normally a state-focused contest. That national spotlight tends to raise the cost and intensity of campaigns for everyone on the ballot.

This has happened before. Trump has repeatedly elevated first-time or nontraditional candidates with early endorsements, including business figures and media personalities, reshaping Republican primaries in his favor. Some of those picks won their primaries; others faltered in general elections in states that lean Democratic.

The next decision rests with Minnesota Republican primary voters and, before that, with Lindell himself on whether he formally files as a candidate. A date for the state’s 2026 primary and Lindell’s formal entry remains unconfirmed in the post, and no timeline for a decision has been announced.

Celebrity and business figures seeking high office is not new to American politics.Ross Perot, the Texas billionaire who ran for president in 1992, captured nearly 19 percent of the national popular vote without winning a single state, one of the strongest independent showings in the 20th century.Jesse Ventura, a former professional wrestler, stunned the political establishment by winning the Minnesota governorship in 1998 on a third-party ticket, defeating both major-party nominees. Ventura served a single term and did not seek reelection, a reminder that outsider victories in Minnesota have proven possible but difficult to sustain.