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Trump takes midterm push to Nebraska amid economic concerns among farmers

Trump has repeatedly expressed confidence in his support from farmers, claiming they have been with him "from day one."
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President Donald Trump will visit Nebraska Monday evening as he looks to boost Republicans ahead of the midterm election.

The rally is part of Trump’s 32-day tour ahead of the election, which has heavily focused on red states thus far, like Alabama, Ohio and Oklahoma. Trump said he is going to Iowa and Nebraska for the farmers, expressing confidence in their support.

“We’re going to Nebraska for a great governor and a great future senator and it’s going to be very successful,” Trump said as he left the White House on Monday.

Trump is scheduled to give remarks in Grand Island, Nebraska, an area that he won in 2024. He will be campaigning for the Republican ticket, including Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is running against independent Dan Osborn. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen is also facing a challenge from former state senator Lynne Walz.

“President Trump is in Nebraska to deliver a simple message: promises made, promises kept. Lower taxes, stronger farms and ranches, new manufacturing, and safer streets are the record because Republicans delivered — and Nebraskans cannot afford to hand that progress back,” the White House continued, pointing to direct aid to farmers and private sector investments in the state.

RELATED STORY | Trump holds Ohio midterm rally, urging voters to consider him on the ballot during 32-day campaign tour

However, Trump’s midterm blitz comes as voters express concerns over the economy, polling shows. The president has generally dismissed those surveys.

A new CBS News/YouGov poll found 70% of respondents felt the president’s policies were increasing the price of food and groceries.

According to a KFF/AP survey of rural voters in September, more than a quarter of Republican voters disapproved of the president’s handling of the economy, though more rural voters preferred the Republican Party to address the cost of living.

In Nebraska, farmers are seeing financial stress and “the most severe financial downturn and stress point since the crisis of the 1980’s,” according to John Hanson, the president of the Nebraska Farmers Union. The union has endorsed Osborn, while the Nebraska Farm Bureau has endorsed Ricketts.

“We're seeing the machinery costs and our capital costs going up far in excess of the rate of inflation, and so we're not able to buy new machinery," Hanson said. "The cost of repairs has gone up at a really steep rate, and so even being able to repair equipment is tough. Fertilizer costs are up substantially, about 25 percent. So then, on top of all the other things and sagging commodity prices, then we get hit with the price of diesel."

Over the past year, the Trump administration has contended with the pricing of ground beef, fertilizer and recent record-high costs for diesel.

But Trump expressed confidence in support from farmers and told reporters he would “be helping them with diesel.”

“We are doing a lot for the farmers. The farmers have been with me from day one," Trump said. "I’ve made the farmers a lot of money."

The president is expected to announce executive actions targeting diesel costs Monday, Politico reported. Trump in recent weeks suggested he was considering an export ban, but after European partners announced a release of diesel, he said he wouldn’t do so.

“We are in the middle of harvest season. The diesel price makes a huge difference in terms of profitability. So this action taken by the president with our allies overseas to make sure that we're getting more into the supply system is coming at a really, really important time,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins told Scripps News last week. “I will note as well, though, we have been talking to a lot of the states. I'm sure you've seen this: Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Nebraska and several others, I think, came online in the last day or two on the dyed diesel question, which also should cut 10 to 20% off of the top of the price per gallon right now.”

WATCH: Sec. Rollins expresses optimism about Trump's diesel policies

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins optimistic about diesel outlook