THUNDER BAY — An area dairy farmer will take time off from his chores to attend U.S. President Donald Trump's rally in Duluth on Wednesday, mostly because of its "entertainment value."
"I follow politics, and I just want to see what the experience of going to a Trump rally is all about," Bernie Kamphof says.
But in an interview with Tbnewswatch, Kamphof conceded he is also somewhat concerned about the pressure the U.S. president is putting on Canada to change its dairy supply management system.
The system includes quotas for dairy products and charges high tariffs for imports above the threshold, which Trump has repeatedly described as unfair.
Kamphof said farmers have "a lot of faith" in the federal government's resolve to maintain the system, but "there's still some concern with the way Trump's been acting, and there's pressure on the Canadian government to give up our system as a bargaining chip to another sector, I guess, and that's possible."
He said that although the dairy products controversy has ramped up his attention to Trump, he's not travelling to Minnesota to participate in any sort of protest.
Kamphof was able to get the free tickets to the rally for him and his son despite a potential roadblock presented by the registration system.
"You need to have an American cell phone number but I figured out a way," he said.
He's heard that some other Thunder Bay residents also plan to attend the rally, Trump's first since his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The tickets are printed with a warning that attendees are not permitted to bring banners or signs to the rally location, the Amsoil Arena.
As a member of the Oliver-Paipoonge municipal council, Kamphof has had the opportunity to meet and chat with politicians such as Kathleen Wynne and Premier-elect Doug Ford.
But if Donald Trump were to mix with the crowd in Duluth and offer a handshake to him, he's not sure what he might say to the President.
"That's a good question. I don't have anything on the top of my head. It's more just for the experience of going down, so we can say 'Hey, we saw Trump.' "
Note to readers: Thunder Bay Source Managing Editor Leith Dunick will attend Wednesday's rally, and will provide coverage.
