GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — President Trump brings his self-described 32-day midterm blitz to the Nebraska State Fairgrounds today, holding a rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center where doors open around 2–2:30 p.m., the program begins at 4:30 p.m., and Trump is expected to speak around 6 p.m. CST, per the Associated Press via KXL and KCAU, KFAB and iHeart, and Gray DC.
Trump is campaigning for Sen. Pete Ricketts (R), who is facing independent Dan Osborn, and Gov. Jim Pillen (R), who is facing former state Sen. Lynne Walz (D), according to Gray DC. Ricketts, a former governor appointed to the seat in 2023 after Ben Sasse left, won it in 2024 and is now running for his first full six-year term, according to the AP via KXL and KFOR.
The visit is part of a blitz focused so far on red states — Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Ohio, where Trump rallied in Vandalia on Oct. 3 — with his next stop set for San Antonio on Wednesday, according to the AP via KXL and Reuters.
The backdrop is bleak. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month put Trump’s approval at a career-low 32%, with his approval among Republicans at 73%, down from 82% a week earlier, Reuters reported Oct. 5. Trump carried Nebraska by more than 20 points in 2024, but public polling shows a competitive Senate race — a Wedgewood poll put Ricketts up just 4 points, according to Gray DC.
Nebraska’s ranchers are in open revolt over the administration’s plan to import millions of tons of foreign beef. Ricketts told the AP: “The plan to import low-quality foreign beef is not helping Nebraska ranchers… I would advise the White House to change that policy.” Farmers and truckers face sharply higher diesel prices — $6.37 a gallon, according to Gray DC — and Trump’s approval has slid in all 10 key cattle states, according to Civiqs data cited by Gray DC.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll found two-thirds of Americans believe they are paying higher-than-usual prices due to Trump’s policies. The September jobs report showed just 29,000 jobs added, with unemployment at 4.2% and hourly wages up 3% against 3.4% inflation, according to ABC News.
What to watch tonight: whether Trump softens the beef-import stance under rancher pressure, how he addresses the tightening Senate race in a state he dominated in 2024, and how a restless red-state crowd greets a president campaigning from a career-low approval rating.
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