Thousands of Trump supporters wandered the frigid streets of Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday night after being left out in the cold after a campaign rally.
Attendees had parked in a designated area, located almost five kilometres from the event stage at Epply Airfield. Shuttle buses were arranged to take Mr Trump’s supporters to the 7.30pm event.
But after the event ended shortly after 9pm, the shuttle buses did not arrive to bring participants back to their cars.
Trump supporters donning Make America Great Again merchandise walked alongside dimly lit roads as they tried to reach their cars. Others waited in below-zero temperatures for shuttle buses that were delayed by traffic.
The last of the rally attendees left the event area after 12.30am.
"There was no direction given. I expected at the end of the rally somebody will say, 'Go this way and there will be buses waiting," volunteer Kris Beckenbach told the Omaha World Herald.
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US President Donald Trump listens as Nigel Farage (R) speaks during a Make America Great Again rally at Phoenix Goodyear Airport October 28, 2020, in Goodyear, Arizona. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski -
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up during a campaign rally at Phoenix Goodyear Airport in Goodyear, Arizona, U.S., October 28, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY -
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden takes part in a virtual Get Out the Vote event with Oprah Winfrey in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., October 28, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder -
California Senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks during a drive-in campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona on October 28, 2020. / AFP / ARIANA DREHSLER -
Vice President Mike Pence motions to his daughter Audrey Pence to walk on stage after he spoke during a campaign top on behalf of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020, in Flint, Mich. (Nicole Hester/Ann Arbor News via AP) -
Jessie Dales entertains supporters as they wait in line to enter the venue where US President Donald J. Trump will speak on a campaign stop, outside the venue at Goodyear Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. EPA -
Poll worker Alice Machinist, of Newton, Mass., right, wears a mask and shield out of concern for the coronavirus while assisting a voter, left, with a ballot during early in-person general election voting, at the Newton Free Library, in Newton, Massachusetts. AP Photo -
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill wave as they depart after casting their votes in the 2020 U.S. presidential election in Wilmington, Delaware, Reuters -
Mark Swindell (R) and his daughters Ivy (L) and Ella try to keep warm at dawn while waiting in line to attend a campaign rally with U.S. President Donald Trump at Phoenix Goodyear Airport n Goodyear, Arizona. AFP -
Tara Immen of Happy Valley, Arizona, wears decorative glasses while waiting in line to attend a campaign rally with U.S. President Donald Trump at Phoenix Goodyear Airport. AFP -
-A truck adorned with decorations and a Mitch McConnell sign sits outside of the venue where U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, makes a campaign stop. AFP -
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell stands and speaks to the press and his supporters during a campaign stop in Smithfield, Kentucky. AFP -
Julian Belilty, from the Kalorama neighbourhood of the District of Columbia, casts his early vote at the Marie Reed Elementary School in the Adams Morgan Neighborhood in Washington, U.S.. Reuters -
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks outside of the state building after voting in Wilmington, Delaware,. AFP -
Scott Brady stands in front of his house with a Trump campaign sign in Springfield, Pa. Once a Democrat, Brady says he switched parties to vote for Donald Trump in 2016, and plans to vote for him again in 2020. AP Photo -
Supporters of President Donald Trump cheer as he walks off stage after speaking during a campaign rally at Phoenix Goodyear Airport, in Goodyear, Arizona. AP Photo
Some rally-goers reportedly suffered adverse effects from the exposure to the cold, prompting the police to be called in to respond to the medical emergency.
At least seven people were taken to hospitals, according to Omaha Scanner, which monitors official radio traffic.
Other police officers worked to clear traffic in the area.
Campaign officials said they had buses ready to shuttle passengers back to their vehicles, but plans were derailed by a larger than expected crowd. The mass exit of vehicles and pedestrians clogged up the roads leading to the event.
“Leaving thousands of Nebraskans stranded in the cold captures the entire Trump administration. I hope those responsible for the poor planning to feed Trump’s ego will be held accountable,” said Jane Fleming Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democrats.
Mr Trump departed on Air Force One shortly after the event. In the final week before the November 3 vote, Mr Trump’s schedule is tightly packed. On Tuesday, he held three campaign rallies in three different states.
In comparison, Mr Biden typically allots a full day to each state he visits.
