Donald Trump Jr. to return to Indiana for rally with Rep. Jim Banks

Donald Trump Jr. is expected to return to Indiana at the end of March for a rally with U.S. Rep. Jim Banks.

Trump Jr. and Banks will headline an “America First Rally” on March 26 in Shelbyville. The event is aimed at supporting Banks’s Senate campaign and former President Trump’s bid to return to the White House, according to an invitation shared with IndyStar. The free rally will be held at the Fischer Food Grade facility and requires an RSVP at amfirsttour.com.

"I'm running for Senate to be part of the new generation of conservative leaders that will help Donald Trump's agenda through Congress," Banks said. "I'm proud to be endorsed by President Trump and am excited to have Donald Trump Jr. in Indiana to support our campaign.

Trump and President Joe Biden on Tuesday secured enough delegates to become their parties presumptive nominees for president. A recent poll conducted by Emerson College Polling and The Hill found 55% of registered Hoosier voters were likely to support Trump in the November election while 34% supported Biden and 12% were undecided. Trump won Indiana in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Latest Indiana poll:New poll shows Trump leads Biden in Indiana. But by how much?

Banks is running unopposed in the state’s May primary following a February vote by the Indiana Election Commission that booted Seymour egg farmer John Rust off the Republican ballot. Rust has asked a Marion County Superior Court judge to reverse that decision. 

Banks in November is expected to face Libertarian Andrew Horning and the winner of May’s Democratic Senate primary, where Marc Carmichael and Valerie McCray are running for the party’s nomination. 

Trump Jr. and Banks were recently together at an Indianapolis event in late 2023 highlighting PublicSquare, an “anti-woke” shopping app. 

At the November appearance, Trump Jr. said there are too many name-only Republicans in the Senate and that Banks would be a “great senator in the not-too-distant future.”

Contact IndyStar's state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.