President Trump is scheduled to headline a midterm rally Monday evening at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds in Grand Island, with doors opening at 2:30 p.m. CT and his remarks set for 6 p.m. CT. He will campaign alongside Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is facing an unexpectedly competitive race against independent Dan Osborn, and Gov. Jim Pillen.
The Nebraska stop is part of a 32-day rally blitz that has already carried Trump through Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Ohio. Reuters reports the president has been urging Republicans to "pretend" he is on the ballot, framing the Nov. 3 midterms as a referendum on his administration.
The visit arrives amid local friction over the administration's plan to import more foreign beef to lower consumer prices. Ricketts publicly advised the White House to "change that policy," warning it would undercut Nebraska ranchers — a rare public break from the president in a state Trump carried by more than 20 points in 2024.
The rally comes as a Reuters/Ipsos poll last month put Trump's approval at a career-low 32%, with approval among Republicans slipping to 73% from 82% a week earlier — numbers the GOP is racing to stabilize with five weeks until Election Day.
