President Trump voiced support for Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell, founder and CEO of MyPillow, at a rally Friday in North Carolina.

Lindell, 64, filed paperwork earlier this month, joining a crowded Republican field that seeks to unseat Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in 2026. Walz is campaigning for an unprecedented third term in Minnesota's highest office.

At Friday's rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, livestreamed on the White House's official YouTube page, Mr. Trump took aim at Walz and Minnesota's growing fraud crisis, adding his longtime ally Lindell, "deserves to be governor of Minnesota" after the myriad legal and financial woes the businessman dealt with in his quest to push conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

"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," Mr. Trump said. "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 hell."

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.

In a 2023 interview with WCCO's Esme Murphy, Lindell — who was campaigning to chair the Republican National Committee at the time — said he had "done nothing wrong" while pushing election falsehoods that took an immense toll on his company.

"When I tried to get this out to the people, MyPillow lost $100 million in retailers," Lindell said. "We're down. We are down. I've had to borrow money, Esme."

"I'm still standing"

On Lindell's campaign website, he notes how he overcame drug abuse and found success with MyPillow, only to have "others" try to bring him down.

"They tried to take away my voice. They targeted my banks and suppliers. They even took my phone … and I run my businesses on my phone," Lindell said. "They didn't just attack me, they also went after my companies and employees. It didn't work. I'm still standing. And now … I want you to know that … I'll stand for you as the next Governor of Minnesota."

Lindell's platform includes halting fraud in Minnesota, repairing the state's "failing school system," tamping down property taxes and deporting "illegal immigrants."

Walz took to X, formerly Twitter, soon after Lindell announced his candidacy.

"We've seen what happens when we elect a con man to the highest office in America. We can't let it happen here in Minnesota," Walz wrote.

Lindell will be up against several GOP contenders in Minnesota's primary on Aug, 11, 2026, including current Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, former Minnesota state senator and Walz's 2022 challenger Scott Jensen, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, businessman Kendall Qualls and defense attorney Chris Madel.

Before the state primary, Lindell and his fellow Republican candidates will have to win over party members in the GOP endorsing convention in spring 2026 — though some candidates have already pledged to take their fight to the primary whether or not they get the coveted endorsement.

Minnesota hasn't elected a Republican governor since 2002, when Tim Pawlenty beat Democrat Roger Moe and Independence Party candidate Tim Penny.

NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is Dec. 11, 2025.