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Politics

Vance Cancels St. Cloud Fraud Appearance as Four Other Officials Are Scheduled to Take His Place

Vice President JD Vance canceled his planned Friday news conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on the administration's fraud crackdown, leaving four other officials scheduled to lead the event while the White House gave no public reason for the change.

By admin Oct. 30, 2026 · 8:46 PM ET 2 min read

A downtown street in a small Midwestern city in late autumn with American flags on poles, bare trees and parked cars

Vice President JD Vance canceled a planned news conference on fraud in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Friday, Oct. 30, days before the midterm election. The White House had announced the visit on Thursday as part of the administration’s “war on fraud” initiative, according to FOX 9.

A wooden podium with microphones in front of rows of empty chairs in a briefing room

The cancellation was confirmed late Thursday by St. Cloud Mayor Jake Anderson and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, according to FOX 9 and USA Today. Officials gave no reason for the change in the accounts published on Friday.

The event was still scheduled to go ahead on Friday afternoon with four other administration officials. FBI Director Kash Patel, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson were scheduled to appear in St. Cloud, according to a Treasury Department release cited by USA Today. The news conference was set for 2 p.m. ET on Friday.

A stone government building with tall columns and wide steps covered in autumn leaves

What was planned in St. Cloud

Vance had been scheduled to take part in the fraud announcement in St. Cloud on Friday. FOX 9 reported that the administration had not released specific details about what would be announced.

Searches in Minnesota the day before

The planned announcement came one day after federal and local law enforcement agencies searched several Minnesota businesses, FOX 9 reported. Among the businesses searched on Thursday were two autism service providers in the Twin Cities area, Iska Inc. in St. Louis Park and Bright Horizon Therapy Center in Edina.

Federal officials described the searches as “court-authorized investigative activity” but did not give further details about the investigations, according to FOX 9. The agencies involved included the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS criminal investigators, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. FOX 9 reported that it remains unclear whether the searches are connected to the fraud announcement in St. Cloud.

Television cameras and microphones pointed at an empty podium in a press room

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today and FOX 9.

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