President Donald Trump at a Dec. 19 rally threw his support behind "My Pillow Guy" Mike Lindell, touting him as his favorite to be the next governor of Minnesota.

Lindell, the CEO of bedding company My Pillow, announced on Dec. 11 he is running for the seat against Trump rival and current governor Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic candidate for vice president.

Lindell says his top objectives include stopping fraud, fixing "failing school systems," stopping "exploding property taxes," and to "send illegal immigrants back." 

A former crack addict, Lindell and his company came to national attention for his offbeat, mostly late-night TV commercials pitching his pillows. In recent years, he’s become known for backing Trump's claims of fraud after the 2020 presidential election. 

"That man suffered. These people went after him. They went after his company," Trump said at the rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. "He was just a guy that said, 'Jeez, this election was so crooked.' It was so rigged."

Multiple recounts, reviews and audits confirmed the results of the election were legitimate.

"He fought like hell," Trump said of Lindell. "That guy deserves to be governor of Minnesota, I'll tell you right now, great guy."

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.

Whatley is running to replace North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis who opted not to seek re-election in 2026 after he announced his opposition to Trump's signature tax legislation, criticizing the bill's cuts to Medicaid. 

North Carolina is a pivotal battleground state and the Senate race is one of the premier contests of the upcoming midterm elections, which will decide if Republicans maintain control of Congress and the ability to enact Trump's agenda. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

"I am going to be a fighter every day for this great state," Whatley promised. "I am going to be a conservative champion for North Carolina, and I am going to be an ally to our great president." 

Contributing by Terry Collins, Francesca Chambers, Joey Garrison and Zac Anderson.