MAGA activist Scott Presler sparked a conservative firestorm after claiming staff for Senate Majority Leader John Thune blocked him from entering a South Dakota Republican barbecue Thursday night.
Presler, a prominent voter-registration activist and supporter of President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act, made the accusation in a series of posts on X after he was denied entry to a dinner at the South Dakota Republican Party’s State Convention in Rapid City.
The event was sponsored by Thune and was scheduled to feature the Senate GOP leader as a keynote speaker.
Presler accused Thune’s team of keeping him out, but the senator’s staff forcefully denied the claim and called it a “categorical lie.”
Presler has become one of the most visible grassroots voices pushing the SAVE America Act, a Trump-backed election integrity bill that would require proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote.
The legislation has stalled in the Senate, frustrating Trump supporters who have pressured Thune to move it forward.
Two pro-SAVE Act resolutions were also tabled at the South Dakota GOP convention.
Presler wrote on X that Thune’s staff was responsible for keeping him out of the dinner.
“It was Senate Majority Leader Thune’s staff that would not let me into the dinner. Thought I looked mildly handsome. Pass the SAVE America Act!”
Ryan Wrasse, a communications officer for Thune, fired back and denied that Thune’s staff had anything to do with the ticketing decision.
“This is a categorical lie to make an embarrassing situation seem better by blaming people who had absolutely nothing to do with this. John Thune’s staff doesn’t run ticketing checks at the South Dakota GOP dinner doors. Give me a break.”
Newsweek said it contacted Presler through Early Vote Action, Thune’s office and the South Dakota Republican Party for comment outside regular business hours.
The South Dakota Republican Party’s State Convention runs from June 25 through June 27 at The Monument events center in Rapid City.
The dispute over Presler’s admission erupted on the convention’s opening day.
The convention website listed the 7 p.m. event as “BBQ Supper with Keynote Speaker (John Thune invited) Social & Dinner Sponsored by Senator John Thune, Entertainment Following—Dave Martinson Big Band.”
Wrasse wrote on X that the event was “closed to press and advertised as such.”
Presler, however, had shared an image on Instagram that appeared to show a press pass for the event.
The local outlet South Dakota Searchlight also reported Friday that it had been blocked from attending the event.
The outlet said it had completed online registration and received an email granting permission to attend, but staff later said they were “having problems with other people who registered as media but weren’t from what the state party considers legitimate outlets.”
Why is @ScottPresler being blocked from the South Dakota GOP event? pic.twitter.com/kqZ5RaShkb
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) June 26, 2026
The convention website includes a “Press” section with FAQs stating that there is space for media in Rushmore Hall and Lacroix.
The FAQ says, “Yes. There are areas set aside for the press in both rooms.”
It also says press must “register on-line or in-person for credentials,” and provides a link for credentials.
Presler shared video of the confrontation on X, filming himself as he was told he could not enter.
“I’m here at the South Dakota State Convention, and they are saying that I can’t come in. We’re going to find out very shortly why I am not being allowed, as one of the biggest supporters of President Donald J. Trump,” he said.
In the video, a man then enters the frame, uses profanity and tells Presler he cannot come in, citing his posting and sharing of content on social media.
“You just get the h*** out of here,” he says.
The video quickly spread among Trump supporters, many of whom already blame Thune for the stalled SAVE Act.
Thune and Donald Trump have had a tense relationship over the years, with the South Dakota Republican criticizing Trump at times, including around the 2020 presidential election, while still supporting many of his policy priorities.
The pressure has intensified as Trump demands Congress pass the SAVE Act before he agrees to sign the largest housing affordability bill in decades.
The Senate is not expected to debate the legislation until July 13.
Thune requested Wednesday that the Senate adjourn for the July 4 recess and not return for votes until July 13.
According to The Hill, Thune was asked whether he was worried Trump would criticize his leadership or withdraw support over the bill.
“That could happen,” he said.
The fight spilled directly into the South Dakota GOP convention, where one resolution urged Thune and the federal delegation to continue efforts to pass the SAVE Act.
Another resolution moved to rebuke and censure Thune until the act becomes law.
For MAGA activists, Presler being blocked from the event became a symbol of a broader frustration with Republican leaders they believe are slow-walking Trump’s election integrity agenda.
For Thune’s team, the claim that his staff personally blocked Presler was flatly rejected.
Either way, the episode added fresh fuel to an already ugly intraparty fight in one of the reddest states in the country.
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