WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump flew off on Air Force One after his rally at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, as rally attendees were left stranded in the cold for several hours, according to reports.
MAGA attendees began lining up for buses to take them to distant parking lots around 9 p.m., according to the Washington Post, but the buses were unable to navigate the airport roads.
It took more than half-an-hour for the buses to get people down the 3.5-mile private road, according to the Iowa Starting Line.
An hour and a half after Air Force One left the airport, Omaha World-Herald reporter Aaron Sanderford tweeted photos showing long lines of people still waiting for a bus to take them to their cars.
CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny tweeted around the same time Tuesday night saying that he heard an Omaha police officer say "we need at least 30 more buses" after supporters had already been waiting for an hour and a half.
At least seven people were taken to hospitals, according to Omaha Scanner which tracks scanner traffic. It said some police officers even started giving elderly attendees who were struggling with the cold rides to their vehicles.
Before the rally began, the Omaha Police Department said that parking lots for the event were full. It said that rally-goers would not be able to access the event by foot, Uber or by other means.
Sanderford posted an update early Wednesday morning saying that the rally wasn't cleared out until just after 12:40 a.m.
Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt was outraged by the lack of planning by the Trump campaign.
"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," Hunt tweeted, "What people will do for this con man, what people have sacrificed, is so sad to me. He truly does not care about you."
President Trump has been focusing his attention on Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in the home stretch before Election Day.
Nebraska is one of two states that awards electoral votes to each of its congressional districts, in addition to awarding electoral votes for winning the entire state. In 2016, Trump managed to take all five of Nebraska’s electoral votes, but polls show the race for the Omaha area’s 2nd District — and its single electoral vote — could be more difficult this time around.
Trump told the big crowd gathered Tuesday: “We have to win both Nebraska’s.”
Trump added that he believed his appearance could also be helpful with the race in neighboring Iowa, which Trump won easily four years ago but which polls suggest is a tight race this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.