After urging Trump not to run for President again in 2022, Tafoya swung like a weathervane into full Trump loyalist mode. Tafoya began exalting Trump, saying she was “wrong” to criticize him. After she embarked on her run for US Senate, Tafoya spoke glowingly about the prospect of receiving his endorsement. She applauded his administration's “accomplishments” and stood with Trump in support of his brutal immigration crackdown. She even hedged on whether Trump or Biden won the 2020 election.
Washington Examiner: Michele Tafoya’s Past Trump Criticism Resurfaces As Minnesota Senate Race Takes Shape [Washington Examiner, 12/24/25]
In 2016, Tafoya Repeatedly Donated To Marco Rubio For President, While Giving Nothing To Trump. According to the Washington Examiner, “If Tafoya runs, her long record of publicly breaking with Trump is likely to receive renewed attention. During the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Tafoya backed Secretary of State Marco Rubio over Trump and made repeated donations to Rubio’s campaign while giving nothing to Trump, according to Federal Election Commission records.” [Washington Examiner, 12/24/25]
In 2022, Tafoya Urged Trump Not To Run For President Again, Citing His Age, January 6, And National Division. According to the Washington Examiner, “Her criticism intensified in 2022, when Tafoya published a lengthy open letter on her Substack urging Trump not to run for president again. In that piece, she described his politics as messy during his first term and said they descended into absolute mayhem after his 2020 loss. She warned that another Trump campaign would be dominated by his age, a relitigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and a deepening of national division, arguing that the country needed a break from both Trump and former President Joe Biden.” [Washington Examiner, 12/24/25]
Tafoya Repeatedly Characterized Trump As Divisive And Said Many Voters Were Exhausted By Political Chaos. According to the Washington Examiner, “In the letter and in subsequent interviews, Tafoya repeatedly characterized Trump as divisive and said many voters were exhausted by political chaos. She suggested Republicans rally around alternative leaders without Trump’s baggage, naming Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Rubio, Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and others. That same year, she told Minnesota outlet KARE 11 that a Trump comeback would bring renewed chaos, and on Tomi Lahren’s show, she said she preferred DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination because he lacked Trump’s extra baggage. Tafoya also posted on social media, urging Trump to sit out the race and shared commentary amplifying criticism from officials like former Attorney General Bill Barr and Haley during the 2024 primary.” [Washington Examiner, 12/24/25]
In March 2025, Tafoya Publicly Faulted The Trump Administration Over Signalgate. According to the Washington Examiner, “Tafoya’s criticism extended beyond the campaign trail. As recently as March 2025, she publicly faulted the Trump administration over reports that senior officials discussed war plans on an unclassified chat, known as ‘Signalgate,’ calling it an unforced error that handed ammunition to critics.” [Washington Examiner, 12/24/25]
Tafoya Said Her Criticism Of Trump Was “Wrong” And That Only Trump Could “Achieve All The Things He Has Achieved.” According to the Washington Examiner, “That posture has since shifted. Appearing on Fox News’s Gutfeld on Dec. 15, Tafoya addressed her earlier opposition directly and said she had been wrong to urge Trump to step aside. ‘I had my own little Trump protest back in 2022,’ she said, referencing her Substack letter. ‘I didn’t think he should run again … because I thought we needed a more conventional kind of candidate. Clearly, I was wrong.’ She argued that Trump’s unconventional approach was precisely what made his presidency effective. ‘Only a non-traditional, disruptive candidate like Donald Trump could achieve all the things he has achieved,’ Tafoya said, pointing to outcomes she credited to Trump, including border enforcement, lower inflation, gas prices, and foreign policy developments. ‘Those things were accomplished because he works his a** off every single day.’” [Washington Examiner, 12/24/25]
Tafoya Said “If I Should Seek This Office, I Will Work With The President To Crack Down On Rampant Fraud In Minnesota, Protect The Integrity Of Women’s Sports, And Lower The Cost Of Living In Every Minnesota Community.” According to the Washington Examiner, “In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Tafoya emphasized that she now supports Trump’s presidency and said she would work with him if elected. ‘Just recently, I spoke about my support of President Trump on Gutfeld! and where I stand on his presidency,’ Tafoya said. ‘If I should seek this office, I will work with the President to crack down on rampant fraud in Minnesota, protect the integrity of women’s sports, and lower the cost of living in every Minnesota community.’” [Washington Examiner, 12/24/25]
Tafoya Said That She Would Be “Honored” To Have Trump’s Endorsement. According to Fox News, “Tafoya joins a crowded GOP Senate primary field that already includes 2024 Senate nominee Royce White, a former NBA basketball player; retired U.S. Navy officer Tom Weiler, a 2022 GOP congressional nominee; former state Senator David Hann and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze. Minnesota's primary isn't until August, and Trump has remained neutral to date in the race. Tafoya said she ‘would be honored to have the endorsement of the President, for sure, but this is going to take me winning over Minnesotans, first and foremost.’” [Fox News, 1/21/26]
Tafoya Said She Would Be “Honored” To Have Trump’s Endorsement. According to NOTUS, “Tafoya said she would be ‘honored’ to have Trump’s endorsement in the race but emphasized she was running her own campaign. ‘The president has his own timeline, and if he wants to support or endorse, I would welcome it,’ she said.” [NOTUS, 1/21/26]
Tafoya Said She Would Be “Honored To Have The Endorsement Of The White House.” According to Axios Twin Cities, “On Trump, she said she would be ‘honored to have the endorsement of the White House,’ but will remain focused on talking to voters from all political parties.” [Axios Twin Cities, 1/21/26]
Tafoya Said That She Was “Wrong” About Trump In The Past And That She Would Be “Honored” To Get His Endorsement. According to the Washington Examiner, “Tafoya acknowledged that she’s been critical of Trump in the past, at one point penning a 2022 Substack that urged him not to run again for president, but said that today, she agrees with a ‘lot of the results and the goals that he is shooting for.’ ‘I’m glad I was wrong,’ Tafoya said, putting herself in the camp of Republicans whose views of Trump have ‘evolved.’ She has not spoken with the president directly, she added, but made clear that she wants his support in the Senate race. ‘An endorsement from the president of the United States would be more than welcome,’ she said. For now, Tafoya said her focus would be on courting primary voters and GOP officials in the state. She will face a Republican field that includes former NBA player Royce White, who lost to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in 2024; ex-Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze; and Tom Weiler, a retired Navy veteran and 2022 House candidate. ‘That means I first have to get the endorsement of every voter I can reach,’ Tafoya said. ‘The president is on his own timeline, and if he decides to endorse me, I would be honored.’” [Washington Examiner, 1/21/26]
Tafoya Said She Would “Happily Take” Trump’s Endorsement. According to Fox News, “While Tafoya has the backing of Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who chairs the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, former President Donald Trump has yet to issue a coveted endorsement that could make or break her campaign. Tafoya said it is ultimately Trump’s decision whether and when to endorse a candidate in the race. ‘I’m going to let him speak for himself on any endorsement,’ Tafoya said. ‘We would happily take it. But right now, we are the candidate that has raised the most money by far in the Republican senatorial race in Minnesota, and we think that speaks very highly of our chances.’” [Fox News, 4/20/26]
[AUDIO] Tafoya Said “There Are A Lot Of Things That This President Has Done That I’m Very Pleased About.” “Brian Bakst: What's your assessment of how President Trump is doing so far in the second term? Michele Tafoya: There are a lot of things that this president has done that I'm very pleased about. Border security is number one. And I talk to delegates all over the state who are grateful for that. They feel safer. Crime is down nationwide. We're happy about that. Prescription drug prices are coming down. Some even came down again this week. Another company joined in to these favorite most Favored Nations agreements with the United States. That is a positive. I appreciate him standing up for girls sports as someone who benefited from Title nine on a multiple on multiple levels. And I would even say that I would not have had the career that I was fortunate enough to have if it hadn't been for Title nine. I'd like to preserve Title nine the way it was.” [MPR News Politics Friday, 4/24/26]
Tafoya Said “I Would Really Like It If Minnesota's Law Enforcement Could Work With Federal Law Enforcement To Make This As Safe And As Peaceful For Everyone.” According to CBS News, “In total, roughly 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents have been dispatched to the Twin Cities, a force that is nearly five times the size of the Minneapolis police department, which employs about 600 officers. Tafoya told WCCO, ‘I want public safety and I back law enforcement. So I would really like it if Minnesota's law enforcement could work with federal law enforcement to make this as safe and as peaceful for everyone. That keeps the officers safe and that keeps the public safe.’” [CBS News, 1/21/26]
Tafoya Blamed Renee Good For Putting Her Body “In Front Of Federal Law Enforcement.” According to Fox News, “Tafoya called the shooting of Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, ‘absolutely tragic.’ ‘My heart sincerely goes out to her family and all of those who loved her. It should not have happened,’ Tafoya said. But Tafoya added, ‘How did we get to this place? How did this environment get created where people feel it's their duty to go put their cars or their bodies in front of federal law enforcement? And I would contend that Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis have ginned this up.’” [Fox News, 1/21/26]
Tafoya Criticized Professional Coaches Who Criticized ICE Tactics And Said They Have “Never Been In The Position of These ICE Officers.” According to Outkick, “‘It's very easy (to criticize actions of federal agents) from the sidelines, particularly if you're someone who is, who is on secure buses and planes and cars and has security around you all the time,’ Tafoya said. ‘If you've never been in the position of these ICE officers who have been attacked had rocks thrown at them, had frozen water bottles thrown at them, have been just had people spit on them (and) in their faces, move cars at them — and we know that the threats against ICE have gone up exponentially — It's very easy to say, ‘I would have done it differently.’’ The former NFL reporter for NBC Sports likened it to how easy it is for sports fans to critique a coach's in-game decision-making when they're just sitting on the sidelines.” [Outkick, 2/3/26]
Tafoya Hedged On Whether Biden Was The True Winner Of The 2020 Election: “That’s What The Results Told Us.” According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, “Minnesota’s leading Republican candidates for U.S. Senate support the ‘SAVE America Act’ — President Donald Trump’s signature attempt to put new regulations on voting — and all three have said passing the legislation would be among their top priorities if elected. […] But Trump’s push for the SAVE Act is also inextricably linked with his debunked claims of a rigged 2020 election. On that issue, the Minnesota Senate candidates are also divided. […] Tafoya’s campaign did not respond to a question about the 2020 election. […] Asked again in June on WCCO radio whether Biden won, Tafoya said: ‘That’s what the results told us, that Biden won and Biden was the president.’” [Minnesota Star Tribune, 7/29/26]