Trump leaves seniors out in the cold — literally

Several Trump supporters were taken to hospitals on Tuesday after hundreds of attendees at a campaign rally were left stranded in the cold due. The reason: a logistical failure by his campaign.

Donald Trump’s campaign reportedly arranged buses to bring supporters from remote parking lots to the evening rally at Eppley Airfield. But after the event ended and Trump flew away, supporters were left in long lines for hours as the buses were unable to navigate the airport roads to bring them back to their cars.

According to the Washington Post, an estimated 6,000-plus attendees crowded into risers for the event — many without masks. Trump departed on Air Force One at around 9 p.m. ET, but his supporters were still stranded hours later, in near-freezing temperatures.

Many older attendees were treated by first responders and some transported to hospitals for hypothermia and other temperature-related issues.

“Thousands of people left out in the cold and stranded in #Omaha, #Nebraska after a #Trump rally. I’m told the shuttles aren’t operating & there aren’t enough busses,” a Fox News reporter tweeted early on Wednesday. “Police didn’t seem to know what to do. Some walked. I saw at least one woman getting medical attention.”

A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story.

It was notable that Trump was in the typically deep-red state of Nebraska a week before the election. Nebraska is one of two states that awards some of its electors based on who gets the plurality of votes in each congressional district and polls show Joe Biden is leading in the Omaha-based Nebraska 2nd District.

Trump falsely claimed in his speech that his “poll numbers are going through the roof” and that he is “looking great” in Nebraska.

“In theory, I didn’t really have to be here,” Trump bragged, “but it’s nice to be with your friends too.”

This is not the first time Trump has risked the safety of his own supporters with his mass campaign rallies. With face masks treated as optional and little social distancing, his campaign stops have become superspreader events for the coronavirus. A report this week from the progressive Center for American Progress found that at least 11 Trump rallies have preceded an increase in COVID-19 cases in communities.

Trump’s policies have also left many seniors out in the cold, metaphorically.

Despite running in 2016 on an ironclad promise to never cut Social Security, Medicaid, or Medicare, he has since attempted to cut all three and vowed in March that “We’ll be cutting” those entitlement programs.

This summer, Trump proposed a payroll tax cut that would have left Social Security with no source of revenue. He claimed that he would make up for the lost revenues by having “growth like you have not seen in a long time.”

Trump’s botched handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has also been especially deadly for older Americans. Of the more than 225,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the country, more than 72% have been people aged 65 or older.

Trump plans to hold more rallies on Wednesday in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.