Trump heads to Nebraska as Republicans defend Senate seat

US President Donald Trump arrived in Nebraska on Monday to rally Republicans and promote his economic record, taking his message of new investment and manufacturing to a state ‌where farmers and truckers face sharply higher diesel prices and voters worry about inflation. His stop in the city of Grand Island is part of Trump's 32-day sprint to the November 3 midterm elections, a campaign in which he is spending considerable time in Republican strongholds. Trump has urged Republicans to “pretend” he is on the ballot, arguing that voters should view the midterms as a referendum on his administration and economic record.

"With your support, just 29 days from ‌now, Nebraska is going to defeat the radical-left Dumb-o-crats once again," Trump said in the opening moments of his remarks. His party is trying to persuade voters that investment, manufacturing and economic growth under Trump ‌outweigh the pain of higher prices stemming from the unpopular US-Israeli war on Iran.

But Republicans enter the final weeks of the campaign facing a difficult national political environment. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday found Trump's approval rating at 32%, matching the lowest reading of his political career, while registered voters preferred Democrats over Republicans 44% to 37% when asked which party they would support in the midterms. Among independents, Democrats led 37% to 21%, with 28% undecided. The poll also found Trump's support weakening among Hispanic voters, a group that helped propel ⁠him to victory ​in 2024. Just 24% of Hispanic Americans approved of his ⁠performance, while 52% of Hispanic registered voters said they planned to vote Democratic in the November 3 election, compared with 26% who planned to vote Republican.

Reuters polling and analysis have also found Republicans' opponents competitive in a number of states Trump won by double digits ⁠in 2024, including Nebraska. Trump carried Nebraska by more than 20 percentage points in 2024, but public polling consistently shows a competitive contest between Republican Senator Pete Ricketts and independent Dan Osborn. ORGANIZERS ADD HUNDREDS OF CHAIRS

Supporters packed the Heartland Events Center ​in Grand Island, many wearing Trump's signature red shirts and others sporting University of Nebraska attire in the same shade. Organizers brought out hundreds of additional chairs to accommodate supporters in the rear of ⁠the arena, as the crowd filled available seating ahead of Trump's remarks. Trump has grown agitated at recent reporting of empty chairs and early departures at his signature rallies.

For many, the draw was the unusual sight of Trump in the Republican-heavy state of Nebraska. He has ⁠only ​visited the state about six times since 2016 and not once since 2022, public records show. "I am not sure I will ever see him in person again and didn't want to miss this. He doesn't come here often," said Nancy Rhodes, a 54-year-old stay-at-home-mother who drove an hour to see the president.

Rhodes said Trump's decision to start a war with Iran has made things more expensive - and may hurt Trump's party's chances of ⁠retaining power - but said disarming Iran's nuclear program was worth the cost. Trump started his campaign swing last week with stops in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Ohio, reflecting his goal of energizing voters in Republican-friendly states ⁠while making himself the central messenger for a party facing ⁠concerns about his political standing.

He told reporters on Monday that he plans to travel nearly every day until the November 3 midterms, including stops in Iowa and Michigan. The president spent part of the weekend pushing to end the twice-yearly clock change, saying farmers support permanent daylight saving time because it would give them more ‌sunlight later in the day. He even ‌publicly shared Republican Senator Tom Cotton's cellphone number as the two sparred over the issue.