Donald Trump paid a visit to Council Bluffs on Friday, speaking to around a thousand people at the Mid-America Center. Hundreds of people lined up beforehand, standing in the rain for hours, some at the front arriving at 5 PM on Thursday afternoon and staying overnight.
Unlike previous Trump events at the Mid-America Center, which were usually held in the arena with a crowd standing and pressed together on the floor, this one was held in a partitioned ballroom, with around 525 chairs in front of the stage. Those chairs were filled quickly as guests entered, with all other available space around the media pen quickly filled with guests standing or sitting on the floor.
The event itself had a strong agricultural theme, with Trump signs painted in John Deere green and yellow, hay bales in front of the stage as decoration, and a tractor with an American flag parked outside the front.
Nebraskans made a strong showing in the crowd, particularly the populist faction that staged a dramatic turnover at the NEGOP convention in 2022. Among the VIP guests were Fanchon Blythe, one of the delegates Pete Ricketts tried to prevent from being seated that summer, and Eric Underwood, the NEGOP chairman who replaced Dan Welsch. Both were recognized by Trump from the stage. Several of the volunteers were members of Lord of Hosts church, a politically-active charismatic church in Omaha.
Among other notable guests was Florida resident Duane Schwingel, dressed as Uncle Sam, who led the crowd in “God Bless America.” Schwingel, (who goes by “Uncle Jam” online) has attended several other Trump events, including his previous rally in Pickens, SC and a protest at the Miami courthouse when Trump was arraigned in Miami. Also among the VIP guests was Roger Stone, who arrived to a brief round of applause from guests who then lined up to get photos with him (including Schwingel).
The former President’s talk focused on agriculture and ethanol and was preceded with a panel discussion on farming with Matt Whitaker, former acting attorney general under Trump, Justin Schultz, a staffer with the national Renewable Fuels Association, and Starlyn Perdue, Pottawattamie County GOP chair and farm wife.
Donald Trump arrived shortly after one o’clock, tossing a few green “Farmers for Trump” ball caps to the crowd. Several of these were given out to guests earlier. Joining him on stage were members of “Farmers of Trump,” led by Iowa state representatives Mike Sexton. Much of Trump’s speech focused on agricultural issues, including repealing the Obama administration’s “Waters of the United States” rule and tariffs on China. “I went to our secretary of agriculture Sonny Perdue, I said, ‘Sonny how much damage has China done to our Farmers?'” Trump recalled. “He said ‘it’s about $28 billion.’ I say, ‘well we’re going to give the farmers $28 billion right out of the pockets of China.'”
Trump talked extensively about ethanol, and he used the issue as a cudgel against rival Ron DeSantis. “Don’t forget, he was a congressman, and he was voting against it, and fighting for years to kill every single job supported by this very important industry,” Trump said. “Ending the Renewable Fuel standard was one of his top priorities as a member of Congress. He wanted to end it, and if he had his way, the entire economy of Iowa would absolutely collapse.”
Trump also touched on as social issues such as transgender surgery for minors. “I’m going to sign a law preventing child sexual mutilation,” he said. “Who would think you have to make a statement? Ten years ago, if you made that statement, people would say ‘what the hell? who would do that?’ It’s very commonplace, without even the parents’ knowledge.”
After Trump’s speech, he took a few questions from the crowd on what he would do for small businesses and controlling the border. After that, Trump stayed to greet a few guests in the front row before leaving the Mid-America Center. Then immediately following the event, Trump took a few of his guests to a nearby Dairy Queen, where he bought Blizzards that he handed out to guests crowded inside.
Iowa Farmers for Trump Co-Chairs
- Representative Mike Sexton, Farmer and Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee
- Representative Derek Wulf, Farmer and Vice Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee
- Representative Heather Hora, Farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee
- The Hon. David Kerr, Farmer and former Iowa Representative
- Jeremy Davis, former senior official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture
