President signs executive order allowing on-road use of tax free diesel
Central Nebraska turned out in a big way to welcome President Donald J. Trump to Grand Island on Monday afternoon. And the president made his best pitch for Republican candidates in ag-centric Nebraska, even to the point of announcing – and signing in real time – an executive order temporarily waiving the off-road restriction for red dyed diesel. The fuel intended for agricultural and construction use only is usually exempt from federal and state excise taxes. The executive order will allow it to be used for on-road highway travel bringing down the price of diesel for millions of users.
Several thousand people from all over the state, many of whom were sporting red MAGA caps and other Trump gear, began packing into the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center at Fonner Park beginning at 1:30 Monday afternoon in anticipation of a 4:30 p.m. program culminating in the appearance by Trump scheduled for 6 p.m. By the time the program began, an estimated 5,800 people filled the venue and several thousand ticket holders were turned away outside.
Over the next three hours, as classic hits like Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” “California Dreamin’” and “Sweet Home, Alabama” played over the loudspeakers, the attendees mingled, waited in long lines for concessions, made new friends and took thousands of photos and videos.
The central location of the event apparently made it easy for supporters from around the state and region to attend. ANR spoke to attendees from Burwell, St. Paul and elsewhere, with some coming from as far away as North Platte and Omaha.
Joining networks like CNN, CBS, Newsmax and RSBN in the fenced-off media area, were also reporters and photographers from regional daily papers like the Omaha World-Herald (working against a 7:10 p.m. deadline) as well as a reporter for the Polk County News and Nancy McGill of the Hebron Journal Register, who was attending her first presidential event.
Political signs and t-shirts were everywhere. Especially prevalent were signs provided by the Sen. Pete Ricketts campaign proclaiming “I’m Billy Bob” or “I’m Mary Jane,” which were intended as a jab at Independent candidate Dan Osborn who was caught on a hot mic referring to typical Nebraska Trump supporters by those names and claiming their lives “probably suck.”
The preliminaries
Shortly after 4:30 a parade of GOP office holders were announced and made their way to the platform with state senators leading in prayer, the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the National Anthem. They were followed by Attorney General Mike Hilgers, Third District Congressman Adrian Smith, Gov. Jim Pillen, and U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, all of whom are running for re-election against Democratic opponents next month, and were the reason for the president’s visit.
After Ricketts left the stage, anticipation began to build for Trump’s appearance scheduled for 6 p.m. and the music – a staple of the president’s campaign rallies – kept playing songs by such varied artists as Elvis, Tina Turner and Michael Jackson.
Air Force One touched down at the Grand Island airport at 5:30 p.m. but, as is customary for Trump, he was not introduced until 6:25.
Trump’s stump speech
Entering the auditorium to cheers and applause, Trump launched into a wide ranging speech that lasted nearly 80 minutes. During the address, the president touted his record and that of the Nebraska Republicans he was there to campaign for and took now-familiar shots at the mainstream media, which he typically labels “fake news.”
Adding a new twist, however, the president mentioned artificial intelligence, which he said should actually be called “super intelligence.” He said the term “artificial” should be applied to the media and referred to networks like CNN as “artificial news.”
Noting that Nebraska voters had turned out in large numbers to support him in three presidential elections, Trump said voter turnout tends to be low for mid-term elections.
“So I am going to do this; I’m going to ask you to pretend that I’m running,” Trump said. “When I’m on the ballot, people show up and we always win. When I’m not on the ballot, 45 percent fewer people show up, so I’m asking you to pretend I’m on the ballot.”
Reiterating his recent pledge to reward every adult American with a $5,000 government check if Republicans win the midterms, the president’s boldest move as Nebraska farmers enter the harvest season was the signing of the executive order regarding red diesel. After announcing his plan, an aide brought on stage a large black folder containing the actual order, which the president signed and then threw the pen out into the audience.
The order allows the purchase of tax-free red dye diesel for highway use and waives the off-road requirement, enabling broader access to this type of diesel fuel.
It defers the federal excise tax on this diesel through the end of 2026, meaning no interest or penalties will apply. It aims to alleviate the financial burden on truckers and farmers, who have been significantly affected by rising diesel prices. The national average price for diesel was reported at $6.32 per gallon, so truckers could save over $100 per fill-up by using tax-exempt red dye diesel, which could significantly reduce operational costs.
Medina’s story
Later on in his address, the president introduced and brought on stage former Grand Island resident Jacqueline Medina, whose teen daughter, Lizbeth Iniguez Medina, was murdered in Texas in 2023 by a Mexican national who had overstayed his visa.
“Jacqueline’s precious 16-year-old daughter, Lisa, a cheerleader – beautiful cheerleader – was brutally murdered three years ago by the illegal alien who had previously been arrested many, many times and released again and again,” Trump said. “Every single Democrat refused to express any remorse for what their policies have done.”
Trump stated that Medina had been his special guest for the State of the Union speech earlier this year, when he used her situation to advocate for stricter immigration enforcement.
Taking the podium Medina said of her daughter, “She was born and raised here. Most of you probably went to school with her. A lot of you might have taught her in school. Her story began here. I moved to Edna, Texas, where my daughter was brutally stabbed 25 times to death, and I found her in a bathroom where she should have been safe in her own home. This is just a reminder for everyone why we need to protect our kids, keep our streets safe. President Trump, I want to thank you because you have had our back from the beginning.”
Toward the end of his speech, Trump brought Pillen and Ricketts both back to the stage and allowed them to make their closing pitches. Smith and First District Congressman Mike Flood – both of whom are up for re-election – also came back on stage to make brief remarks.
The speech came to a conclusion at 7:45 but the exit doors were not opened until about 15 minutes later, apparently to give time for the president’s motorcade to leave the area. After exiting the building it took attendees another quarter hour to leave the parking area giving time for the motorcade to reach the airport.