Trump’s ‘Save America’ rally in Nebraska draws thousands

GREENWOOD, Neb. (WOWT) - Former President Donald Trump spoke at his “Save America” rally Sunday at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood.

Trump’s rally was in support of Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster.

The I-80 Speedway in Greenwood is about 36 miles southwest of Omaha.

The rally was originally scheduled for Friday, April 29, but was delayed due to severe weather. Supporters started lining up at 10 a.m. Friday, some of them opting to camp out at the site overnight Thursday.

“I hope it’s not fake news that we had to make this decision,” Herbster told the crowd already gathered for the event.

Thousands came out for the rescheduled rally on Sunday, and chanted “USA” as the former President took the stage.

An hour into making remarks, Trump mentioned why he was there - to support Charles Herbster. He invited Herbster on stage with him.

“I think Charles is going to do very well, and if he does, you’ll be very happy and you’re gonna have an even more prosperous state, we’ve made it very prosperous, and I really think he’s going to do just a fantastic job and if I didn’t feel that, I wouldn’t be here,” Trump said.

The rally comes shortly after Herbstere was accused of sexual misconduct toward eight women, including Republican state senator Julie Slama.

Trump said Herbster “has been put through the grinder” unfairly.

During his address to the crowd, Herbster mostly avoided the allegations and instead focused on his goals if he were to be elected as the state’s next governor.

“We’re gonna cut taxes, we’re gonna quit CRT, we’re gonna take sex education out of the schools and put it back in the homes where it belongs,” he said during his 35-minute speech.

Leading up to the event, 6 News spoke with several supporters who said they wanted to hear Trump out on why he supports Herbster, and how much an endorsement from Trump will help determine their vote for governor.

“That’s why I wanted to come to the rally, is to hear Herbster, hear Trump and why he endorses him, and that would help me determine my vote for governor,” Jill Gocke from York said.

“The Trump endorsement means a lot, and you know that it’s going to align with probably the things you value and believe in,” said Danny Thompson from Papillion.

The former president endorsed Herbster in October, but the Republican candidate has made headlines in recent weeks after filing a defamation lawsuit against Nebraska State Sen. Julie Slama following accusations from her and several other unidentified women; Slama has since countersued

Others in the crows said they would support Herbster despite the allegations against him.

“[The allegations] don’t bother me one bit,” said Don Ball from Lincoln.

“I was planning on voting for Herbster anyway, I think he’s the best candidate out of all of them,” said Donna Foutch from Valley.

During the rally, the crowd cheered at Trump’s messaging and digs at President Biden. Trump also gave his two cents on current Nebraska politicians, saying Senator Ben Sasse “grandstands” and is “an embarrassment to the people of Nebraska.”

Trump also called Congressman Don Bacon “just another wise guy” and encouraged voters to vote against him. He told the crowd that Former Congressmann Jeff Fortenberry recently found guilty of lying to the FBI over illegal campaign funds, was prosecuted unfairly.

The former president was on stage for just over two hours - leaving some crowd members wanting more.

“I thought it was awesome, not long enough,” said Mary Gansebom, who drove in from Wisconsin.

“It was very great to hear what’s happening, knowing what’s going on, what we can look for down the road, it’s great,” said Anthony Yonkers of Bellevue.

“I’ve watched him on TV, all of his rallies, but to see him in person was something I probably will never experience again in my life, it was excellent,” said Lincon native Betty Burback.

Many supporters say they left today’s event an even bigger supporter of Herbster, too.

“This guy that’s running for governor, this Charles Herbster, he’s a good man. He’s a good man,” said Laurel Anderson from Wisconsin.

“Very good, very impressed, I was anxious to hear from him so it was good to hear from him personally,” Burback added.

“It sounds like he’s got all the horsepower to do a good job,” Yonkers said.

Following the rally, the Nebraska Democratic party called the Republican party “deeply divided” heading in to the May 10th primary.

Party chair Jane Kleeb said the rally is an opportunity for Democrats to now address important issues to Nebraskans while Republicans are “fear-mongering.”

In a statement, Kleeb said, “Trump looked desperate, invoking all his one-liners, as he tries to cling to relevancy.”

The rally came less than two weeks ahead of Nebraska’s primary election on Tuesday, May 10.

Watch the full speech from Donald Trump:

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