‘He gets his photo op and gets out': Biden hits out at Trump for ‘reckless’ Omaha rally that left supporters hospitalised
Joe Biden has said that Donald Trumpâs failure to plan responsibly left hundreds of his supporters stranded in freezing temperatures after a rally in Nebraska.
Speaking after health experts gave a briefing on Covid-19, Mr Biden said the event provided a snapshot of the presidentâs approach to the coronavirus pandemic.
âJust look at what happened last night in Omaha after the Trump rally ended. Hundreds of people including old Americans and children were stranded in sub-zero, freezing temperatures for hours,â the Democratic candidate said.
âSeveral folks ended up in the hospital. Itâs an image that captured President Trumpâs whole approach to this crisis ⦠He makes a lot of big pronouncements, but they donât hold up. He gets his photo op and then he gets out. He leaves everyone else to suffer the consequences of his failure to make a responsible plan.â
The above video & this one were taken around 10:15pm. The #Trump rally ended around 8:45pm. Some just gave up and walked from the airfield, back to wherever they parked. It was about 32° out at the time. Many had already spent hours outside as they waited for POTUS to arrive. pic.twitter.com/JYXCLypTQl
— Jeff Paul (@Jeff_Paul) October 28, 2020
Omaha police said in a statement that seven people were taken to hospital, and 30 people were contacted for medical reasons, after Mr Trumpâs rally at Eppley Airfield required people to walk three miles to waiting buses.
The Omaha Airport Authority said six people were taken to hospital during the event, but did not confirm for what reasons.
After Air Force One left the tarmac at about 9pm, police said the last bus left the rally site at 11:50pm. The supporters, numbering about 25,000, had begun filing into the rally at about 10am before the scheduled starting time of 8pm.
âIt seems like he just doesnât care much about it. And the longer heâs in charge the more reckless he gets. Itâs enough. Itâs time to change,â Mr Biden said.
Samantha Zager, Mr Trump's deputy national press secretary, said in a statement to Omaha-World Herald on Wednesday that he loved his supporters and cared about their safety, placing blame for the delays on local road closures.Â
âDespite the cold, tens of thousands of people showed up for his rally. Because of the sheer size of the crowd, we deployed 40 shuttle buses â double the normal allotment â but local road closures and resulting congestion caused delays,â she said.
âAt the guest departure location, we had tents, heaters, generators, hot cocoa, and handwarmers available for guests.â
Nebraska senator Megan Hunt tweeted that the president âtruly does not careâ about his supporters.
Supporters of the President were brought in, but buses weren’t able to get back to transport people out. It’s freezing and snowy in Omaha tonight.
What people will do for this con man, what people have sacrificed, is so sad to me. He truly does not care about you. #OmahaRally https://t.co/oR0Ujm9yvM— Senator Megan Hunt 😷 (@NebraskaMegan) October 28, 2020