Hundreds of President Trump’s supporters left in the freezing cold for several hours after a rally at an airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday night, with some left walking for miles as they wait for buses and others taken in ambulances.
Seven people suffering from a variety of conditions were taken to area hospitals while the other 30 people “contacted” for medical reasons, according to the Omaha Police Department.
The temperature in the areas was said to be in the mid-30s at the time, but as low as 27 degrees with the wind chill.
Many of the people at the rally faced hours in long lines to get in and clogged parking lots and busy crowds to get out of the Eppley Airfield, hours after Air Force One departed.
The police said the last person was loaded onto a bus at the rally site around three hours after the event was ended.
Joe Biden, Trump’s political rival on Wednesday said the incident was emblematic of “Trump’s whole approach.”
“Just look what happened last night in Omaha, after the Trump rally ended, hundreds of people, including older Americans and children were stranded in sub-zero freezing temperatures for hours,” Biden told reporters during a brief speech in Wilmington, Delaware as reported by NBC News.
“Several folks ended up in the hospital…It’s an image that captured President Trump’s whole approach in this crisis…he makes a lot of big pronouncements, but they don’t hold up.”
According to the police department, 25,000 people were ferried to the rally site by 40 buses running from 10.00 am until the rally started at 8 pm.
Dispatches from the department recorded by the radio communication platform Broadcastify say that at least 30 people including the elderly, an electric wheelchair user, and a family with small children were among those that required medical attention after hours of waiting in the cold.
“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,” Nebraska state Sen Megan Hunt tweeted.
NBC News has reached out to the Trump campaign, Omaha Fire/EMS, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Omaha and has not yet received a comment.
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“There’s an issue with a number of people unable to find their cars and wandering in the cold … see if we can’t get everybody reunited with a car,” the Omaha police Dispatch 1129 recording said, according to Broadcastify.
President Trump’s campaign team on Wednesday, in a statement, said “President Trump loves his supporters and was thrilled to visit Omaha last night. Despite 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 — double the normal allotment — but local road closures and resulting congestion caused delays. At the guest departure location, we had tents, heaters, generators, hot cocoa, and hand warmers available for guests. We always strive to provide the best guest experience at our events and we care about their safety.”
