Trump joins Pete Ricketts in Nebraska rally amid beef-import controversy

Donald Trump is traveling to Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday to campaign for Senator Pete Ricketts, who is running for his first full term after being appointed and later elected to fill Ben Sasse’s seat. Ricketts’s opponent is independent Dan Osborn, a former labor-union chief who previously lost to Republican Sen. Deb Fischer and has not disclosed which party he would join if elected. Nebraska’s ranchers have criticized the administration’s plan to import additional foreign beef, saying it would undercut domestic producers and fail to lower consumer prices.

Ricketts echoed this concern, urging the White House to reconsider the policy. The rally is part of Trump’s 32-day pre-midterm blitz that has already hit other red states such as Oklahoma and Alabama, with a Texas stop in San Antonio scheduled later in the week. Similar independent challenges are emerging in Senate contests in South Dakota and Idaho, highlighting a broader trend of non-party candidates facing GOP incumbents.