During his rally on Friday in North Carolina, President Trump expressed support for MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell in his bid for Minnesota governor. “You know who’s running for governor? Mike Lindell,” Trump said. “That man suffered. What he did, what he went through because he knew the election was rigged. And he did it. I mean, he just did it as a citizen,” Trump continued. “I hope he does great. He deserves to do great,” he added. “These people went after him, they went after his company. They did that with me too, but at least I knew what I was getting into. He was just a guy that said, ‘Jeez, this election was so crooked, it was so rigged.’ He fought like h***. That guy deserves to be Governor of Minnesota,” he said. Check it out: Trump on MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell running for governor: “I hope he does great… that guy deserves to be Governor of Minnesota.” pic.twitter.com/cIPAINJK5K — johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) December 20, 2025 CBS News has more: In September, a federal judge ruled against Lindell in a defamation suit filed by Smartmatic, an election technology company, which claimed the businessman falsely accused the company more than 50 times in public of helping slant the 2020 election toward former President Joe Biden. That ruling came three months after a federal jury found Lindell guilty of defaming a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems in a livestream on his own media platform, calling him a “traitor” who helped steal the election away from Mr. Trump. In that trial, Lindell said his pro-Trump activism obliterated his net worth, which he said went from $60 million to $10 million in debt. Lindell announced his candidacy in the Minnesota gubernatorial race last week, joining a crowded GOP primary. “Let’s Bring Common Sense Back To Minnesota” – Mike Lindell Officially Launches Bid For Governor! USA TODAY shared further: Trump’s move to weigh in on the upcoming Minnesota governor race came amid a rally where the president shared many talking points that he’s repeated in recent days, making claims that the U.S. under his administration has become "the hottest country in the world." On Dec. 17, Trump gave a similar address from the White House where he used the same phrase; he claimed he brought peace to the U.S. for the first time in 3,000 years at a Hanukkah reception on Dec. 16; and at a rally in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9 he beat back complaints that he hasn't been focused enough on the economy. The rally in North Carolina is part of a series of stops the White House says Trump will be making across the United States ahead of the 2026 midterms. Republicans' majority in the House and Senate and the term-limited president's legacy is on the line. Trump also introduced former Republican National Committee chair and former North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley. The president is backing Whatley in an upcoming senate run in the state.