FARGO – President Donald Trump plans to hold a rally here Wednesday, June 27, according to Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

“Yes. He’s coming to Fargo on the 27th to support me,” the congressman said in an email to The Forum.

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Earlier in the week, the Washington Post reported a tiff between Cramer and the Trump administration. Cramer said Trump encouraged him to run for the Senate but seemed only to say good things about his opponent, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.

The president’s rally will take place at Scheels Arena at 7 p.m. June 27, according to a campaign email Forum columnist Rob Port received.

Cramer told The Forum that his office and Trump’s team had been working for some time to line up a date for a visit to North Dakota.

While many details were unknown Friday, June 15, including when an online link to reserve tickets would become available, Cramer said the event will be open to the public at the hockey arena that has seating for about 6,000.

“I would expect that once those links open up and we put the word out, you can expect that it’ll go live and people will be clicking to try to get their seat to see the president,” he said.

Trump last visited North Dakota in September when he touted the GOP’s tax reforms at a Mandan refinery. Famously, the president called Heitkamp a “good woman” as he sought her vote for the reforms. On the stage with him were both senators and Cramer, who hadn’t decided to run for Senate at that time.

After Heitkamp voted “no” on the tax plan, Vice President Mike Pence blasted her at his own rally in Fargo in March. Cramer received praise for his support.

But Trump’s apparent fondness for Heitkamp didn’t fade. “Trump’s affinity for Heitkamp, who got a shout-out and a handshake at a recent White House bill signing, has frustrated top Republicans who see winning her Democratic seat as crucial to holding onto their fragile 51-to-49 majority,” the Post reported.

This week, though, the president reaffirmed his support for Cramer in a tweet Wednesday, June 13, praising his win in the primary. “We need Kevin in the Senate, and I strongly endorse him. Heidi voted NO on our Tax Cuts, and always will vote no when we need her. Kevin is strong on Crime & Borders, big on Cutting Taxes!”

Besides Trump and Pence, other members of the administration have made North Dakota a destination, including Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. Chief of Staff John Kelly and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin came with Trump to Mandan.

While Trump’s visits around the country for months have been billed as “Make America Great Again” rallies for his 2020 re-election campaign, Cramer said the June 27 stop in Fargo is happening because of his run against Heitkamp.

“I don’t know that there's been a president more accessible than Donald Trump since Abraham Lincoln, quite frankly,” he said.

Cramer said he expects a good turnout at the rally and that he plans to attend – a plan that would only change if the farm bill came up for a vote in Congress that day, “or I’d be trying to do both.”