Trump’s campaign had already floated legal action against the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis for seeking to pass on the security-related costs and threatening to withhold access to the venue. The president’s tweet, however, marked the most dramatic escalation in the new feud with Frey’s government and came as a surprise to the mayor himself.

“To say the least, it’s a strange feeling to wake up in the morning to the president of the United States tweeting about our city and me as the mayor,” Frey, a Democrat, told POLITICO in an interview.

The lightweight mayor is hurting the great police and other wonderful supporters. 72,000 ticket requests already. Dump Frey and Omar! Make America Great Again! https://t.co/ibTqvSbsbn — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2019

Scores of other public figures have experienced similar sensations since Trump assumed office almost three years ago, bringing with him to the White House a propensity for ambushing unsuspecting celebrities, journalists and politicians on Twitter.

His decision this week to single out Frey, though, initiates the Minneapolis mayor into a separate class of online adversary — lesser-known government officials who are thrust toward the forefront of news cycles and vaulted onto the national stage after being hounded in tweets by Trump.

That spotlight is a “side benefit” of the president’s scornful missives on social media, said Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, which is affiliated with the U.S. Democratic Party and of which Frey is a member.

“Probably no one outside of Minnesota knew who Mayor Jacob Frey was before this week, and Donald Trump just elevated his profile in a major way,” Martin told POLITICO.

Among Frey’s ranks are local leaders like Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who drew plaudits for her fury over the administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in 2017, prompting Trump to memorably deride her online as “nasty.”

Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, was similarly praised for guiding her city through the aftermath of a mass shooting in August, though Trump swatted at her in a tweet, accusing her of “misrepresenting” his visit with first responders and victims.

“Donald Trump, through his attacks, doesn’t realize that he is actually probably in some ways elevating the profile of these elected officials who work tirelessly in obscurity,” Martin said. “And now these elected officials … have developed a huge following and have become rising stars in the party.”

Frey, 38, certainly appears equipped with the political trappings of a Democratic up-and-comer straight out of “central casting,” as the president might say.

He moved to Minneapolis in 2009 after competing in the Twin Cities Marathon and graduating law school at Villanova University, going on to practice as an attorney and engaging in advocacy efforts and community organizing.

Elected to the City Council in 2013, Frey became mayor four years later. He now serves as the progressive leader of the state’s largest city, a bastion of liberal voters, championing access to affordable housing, improved police and community relations and economic inclusion.

Apart from a brief profile in Men's Health, Frey hasn’t garnered significant attention from national media — making Trump’s Twitter drive-by all the more confounding, especially as the White House combats a rapidly expanding impeachment inquiry and fallout over its Syria foreign policy.

“If I was the president of the United States, I certainly wouldn’t be focused on me right now,” Frey said.

Although the president’s criticisms of Mayors Cruz and Whaley came amid episodes of domestic crisis, his latest beef with Minneapolis’ chief executive seems for now to be a purely political matter.

Frey first spoke out against Trump’s planned rally late last month, acknowledging that while there exists “no legal mechanism to prevent the president from visiting, his message of hatred will never be welcome in Minneapolis.”

On Monday, Trump’s campaign raged against the cost estimate provided by Frey’s city government, claiming that the invoice of more than half a million dollars was 26 times greater than the security charges for a 2009 event in the same arena headlined by President Barack Obama.

After Trump began weighing in Tuesday on Twitter, Frey replied only twice to his nine posts invoking the mayor or the rally — which is now scheduled to proceed as planned after campaign manager Brad Parscale announced the Target Center had “backed off canceling the contract.”

Yawn... Welcome to Minneapolis where we pay our bills, we govern with integrity, and we love all of our neighbors. https://t.co/v1cXvoD9uR — Jacob Frey (@Jacob_Frey) October 8, 2019

Frey said in a statement later Tuesday that his “position with respect to the operating costs remains unchanged,” and rejected the campaign’s assertion that the price projection was politically skewed against Trump.

“Almost everything about the president’s life and personality [and] political views is subject to quite a bit of fluctuation, with the exception of paying his bills: He never does, and he remains consistent on that item,” Frey said in the interview, citing the Trump campaign’s failure to reimburse several cities that have hosted rallies for public safety expenses associated with those events.

The scuffle between the president’s campaign and the mayor’s office regarding the rally costs coincides with another local controversy Frey is weathering, which Trump has also sought to exploit.

Some law enforcement officers have complained about a newly introduced policy by the Minneapolis Police Department banning them from appearing in uniform in support of candidates at political events or in advertisements.

The new directive, which detractors argue represents another example of left-leaning bias by Frey and city officials, inspired the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis to produce “Cops for Trump” T-shirts for officers to wear at the rally. Trump began promoting the apparel on his Twitter feed after Lt. Bob Kroll, the police union president, appeared Tuesday on “Fox & Friends.”

Kroll told POLITICO he enjoys a “decent working relationship” with Frey, describing the mayor as an ambitious politician whose career could stand to benefit from a dust-up with the commander in chief.

“He’s looking for the next step, obviously, and this is a way to get national recognition and get his name out there,” Kroll said. But objective observers of the conflict, he cautioned, would assess that “the president gave the mayor a beat down.”

Jennifer Carnahan, chairwoman of the Minnesota Republican Party, was even more doubtful that Frey’s time in the president’s crosshairs would expand his brand beyond the Twin Cities.

“He might get attention for a few days, and then he will go back into oblivion,” she told POLITICO, adding: “I’m sure he is loving every minute of this.”

Frey insists, however, that despite his current ability to capture the attention of the sitting president, he is not seeking to take advantage of this peculiar moment by pushing a particular policy or projecting a certain message. He said the task at hand is readying for Trump’s looming rally, “not capitalizing on some sort of, I don’t know, internet phenomenon.”

On Thursday morning, Frey reiterated in a tweet that “Minneapolis taxpayers should not have to bear the brunt of operating costs resulting from the president’s visit,” and participated in a news conference “to Reaffirm that Minneapolis Stands United for All of Our Residents” ahead of Trump’s arrival. He also sat for an interview with MSNBC — his first outing on a cable news network this week.

It’s likely that the mayor will receive another mention by the president as he addresses supporters, but Frey told POLITICO that he is encouraging residents not to become inflamed by the “hateful rhetoric” and “ugliness” that accompany Trump campaign events.

“I’m going to do my job, and right now my job is preparing for this event tomorrow,” he said. “And I’m telling people very clearly: If you see cruelty, call it out and answer it with kindness. If you see hate, counter it with love. And we’re going to show with grace and clarity that Minneapolis is a world-class city, and that we’re not going to take the bait.”