Former President Trump visits Council Bluffs

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - Former President Trump made a campaign stop Friday in Council Bluffs.

In his speech to supporters gathered at Mid-America Center, Trump made an appeal to farmers, saying that during his time in the White House, he looked after them by eliminating the estate tax. The former president also took shots at GOP rival Ron DeSantis and President Biden, saying both men are bad for Heartland farmers.

“With the insane Green New Deal, Joe Biden is trying to totally kill Iowa ethanol and replace it with expensive electric cars,” he said.

He also said that DeSantis wants to outsource American farming to a foreign country.

6 News talked with some of people who were at Friday’s rally, asking them to tell us why they would be voting for Trump.

“He is probably the best president — other than maybe Kennedy —that we’ve ever had,” Council Bluffs resident Deborah Ellison told 6 News.

She said she believes both men used diplomacy to avoid war.

The former president talked about war during his speech, taking aim at Biden in his remarks.

“We have potential world wars, we have weaponry the likes of which nobody’s ever seen before. You don’t want to see it. You don’t want to think about it. And we have a man in the White House that has no clue what the hell is happening,” Trump said.

Another of his supporters told 6 News she’s impressed with DeSantis, but that Trump is still her guy because of how he handled himself during his time in the White House.

“I loved the fact that we had cheap gas prices, we had cheap groceries, he’s for energy independence. He proved that he could get the work done, even with people against him in Washington,” said Elizabeth Helle of Council Bluffs.

FRIDAY TIMELINE

Trump’s plane arrived at Eppley Airfield in Omaha at about 12:20 p.m., and his motorcade left for Council Bluffs about 10 minutes later.

The program was scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. at the MidAmerica Center, with Trump expected to start his remarks at 1 p.m. He stepped to the podium about a half-hour later than scheduled, and wrapped up his comments just before 3 p.m.

Following his speech, the former president made a stop at a local Dairy Queen talking with people who were gathered there. By 3:40 p.m., he had traveled to the airport and was talking with people gathered there.

Trump’s visit to Iowa comes on the heels of former Vice President Pence’s campaign stops around the state. Pence was in Neola on Thursday evening.

Watch Friday’s Trump rally

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Digital Director Gina Dvorak contributed to this report.

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