Trump rallies in Nebraska as early voting opens in tighter races
President Trump rallied Monday in Grand Island, Nebraska, for Sen. Pete Ricketts and Gov. Jim Pillen on the first day of early voting there. He also signed an order easing rules on tax-free farm diesel. Trump won Nebraska by more than 20 points in 2024, but polls show close races this year.
President Donald Trump held a rally Monday night in Grand Island, Nebraska, to help Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts and Gov. Jim Pillen. It was his first campaign stop in the state since 2022, and it fell on the first day of early in-person voting there.
"Pretend I'm on the ballot," Trump told the crowd at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the state fairgrounds. He warned that turnout drops in midterm years when he is not running.
Nebraska should be safe ground for Republicans. Trump carried the state by more than 20 points in 2024. But polls show competitive races for both seats, Reuters reports. Ricketts, seeking his first full term, faces independent Dan Osborn, whom Trump called "fake Dan Osborn." Pillen, seeking a second term, faces Democrat Lynne Walz. Pillen named Trump an admiral in the "Great Navy of Nebraska," a state honor.
On stage, Trump signed an executive order on red-dyed diesel, which farmers can normally use tax-free only off the road. The order lets it be used on highways for now and puts off the 24.4-cent federal diesel tax from Oct. 5 to Dec. 31. Trump said farmers would save "over $100" per fill-up. The White House put the savings at about $60 for a 250-gallon fill. Diesel in Nebraska hit a record $6.21 a gallon, and Pillen had asked the White House for help in September.
Democrats pushed back. Jane Kleeb, who leads the Nebraska Democratic Party, criticized the visit, and Walz issued her own statement, Nebraska Public Media reports.
The national mood is a hurdle for Trump's party. A Reuters/Ipsos poll puts his approval at 32%, tying the lowest of his career. The same poll gives Democrats a 44% to 37% lead when voters are asked which party they want in Congress.
Trump has visited Nebraska about six times since 2016, Reuters reports. He recently rallied in Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio and plans stops in Iowa and Michigan. Nebraska's early voting runs through Nov. 2, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
What we know: Trump is campaigning in states his party once took for granted.
What we don't: Whether his visits help or hurt Republicans with independents.
Where outlets agree Nebraska Public Media and The Washington Post, carrying AP, both report that Trump signed an order on tax-free red-dyed diesel at the Grand Island rally.
Where they differ Trump told voters to treat the midterms as a vote on him, while a new Reuters/Ipsos poll puts his approval at 32% and shows Democrats ahead on the generic ballot.