Hundreds of Trump supporters were left stranded in the freezing cold at an Omaha, Nebraska rally Tuesday night, with some even hospitalized for hypothermia.
Many of the Trump supporters left their cars behind in parking lots as they were bussed to the Eppley Airfield site, where the rally was held. However, chaos ensued after when bus drivers failed to pick them up, with many having to walk up to four miles to waiting buses or their cars.
Many also faced long lines to get inside the rally, as parking lots quickly reached capacity and officers scrambled to find rally attendees transportation to the event.
“‘We need at least 30 more buses,’ an Omaha police officer just said, shaking his head at the chaotic cluster that is unfolding,” CNN Correspondent Jeff Zeleny tweeted at 10:21 PM Tuedsay night.
At least 30 people including the elderly, an electric wheelchair user, and a family with small children were among those requiring medical attention after hours of waiting in the cold at the rally, an Omaha Police dispatch said, according to reporting by NBC news.
Crowds that were able to get into the rally cheered on as the 2020 Repiblican candidate arrived to speak to hundreds of supporters in 30 degree weather.
“Is there any place you would rather be than a Trump rally on about a 10 degree evening,” Trump stated to the crowd as he arrived.
The rally ended around 9pm, but many had to walk nearly four miles back to their cars in the South Economy parking lot.
Omaha officers who were unassigned were going around parking lots to pick up people and assist people struggling to locate their cars, according to the police scanner.
Just a week before the election many on Twitter were calling out the chaotic event, with Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke describing the event as “an absolute shitshow” as many were left stranded in the cold.
“This is Trump in a nutshell,” Huppke tweeted at 12:28 early Wednesday morning.
Others poked fun at the chaotic event, with one Twitter user @blaireerskine uploading a satirical video pretending to be a supporter being interviewed out in the freezing cold.
“I would walk 750 miles in below zero temperatures, nip-nude, just to hear him speak,” she jokingly remarked as she hopped around in the cold weather.
Trump Deputy National Press Secretary Samantha Zager said in a statement released Wednesday that up to 40 buses were deployed, which is more than double than the usual amount, but “local road closures and resulting congestion caused delays,” according to reporting by Associated Press.
Zager also added that the campaign provided tents, heaters, generators, and hot cocoa to rally attendees in the cold, according to the statement.
