DETAILS emerged yesterday of an extraordinary mishap on Tuesday night which would have killed stone dead the election campaign of any candidate other than President Donald Trump.

After the rally he addressed at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, the president and his entourage took off on Air Force One. Meanwhile down below them shuttle buses that were supposed to take hundreds of Trump supporters back to their cars parked several miles away either did not turn up or were delayed, leaving many people stranded for up to three hours in freezing conditions.

With a wind chill factor dropping temperatures below zero, many chose to walk to the car parks some three and four miles from the scene of the rally, but that meant roads became clogged and eventually medics were called to treat people in and around the airfield.

Though a Republican stronghold, Nebraska is a key state because unlike almost every other state it does not send all its votes for the winning candidate to the electoral college but can split them using the congressional district system.

In the face of a surge of coronavirus cases across the state, Trump came to Omaha to encourage his supporters to ignore the bad news – despite claiming the US was making the “final turn” in the battle to beat the virus.

Reporters spoke of chaos at the scene and Jeff Zeleny, senior White House correspondent for CNN, tweeted: “President Trump took off in Air Force One 1hr 20 minutes ago, but thousands of his supporters remain stranded on a dark road outside the rally. ‘We need at least 30 more buses,’ an Omaha police officer just said, shaking his head at the chaotic cluster that is unfolding.”

Jeff Paul’s tweet went viral with 4.3 million people viewing his video of the queues: “Thousands of people left out in the cold and stranded in #Omaha, #Nebraska after a #Trump rally. I’m told the shuttles aren’t operating and there aren’t enough busses. Police didn’t seem to know what to do. Some walked. I saw at least one woman getting medical attention.”

The local police department said 30 “contacts” were made by emergency services because they were suffering effects of the cold and seven people were taken to hospital.

Ironically, President Trump said during a speech on arrival at the rally: “Is there any place you would rather be than a Trump rally on about a 10 degree evening? ... It’s cold out here but that’s OK.”

Referring to rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin where it was also cold, Trump added: “I said I won’t put on a hat, because I’m gonna show you how tough we are.”

“It was pouring and it was freezing. It is the coldest right here, right?”

Speaking yesterday at his “home” rally in Wilmington, Delaware, Trump’s opponent Senator Joe Biden said that the Omaha attendees, “including older Americans and children, were stranded in sub-zero freezing temperatures for hours” – adding that “it … captures President Trump’s whole approach in this crisis”.

He continued: “He makes a lot of big pronouncements, but they don’t hold up. He gets his photo op and then gets out. He leaves everyone else to suffer the consequence of his failure to make a responsible plan. It seems like he just doesn’t care much about it.”

Democrat senator for Nebraska Megan Hunt tweeted: “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. What people will do for this con man, what people have sacrificed, is so sad to me. He truly does not care about you.”

The crowd was estimated by reporters at 6000 people, with police saying it was more than 10,000 and the Trump campaign saying there were 29,000 people in attendance.

Yesterday the Trump campaign said in a statement: “President Trump loves his supporters and was thrilled to visit Omaha last night. Despite the cold, tens of thousands of people showed up for his rally.

“Because of the sheer size of the crowd, we deployed 40 shuttle buses — double the normal allotment — but local road closures and resulting congestion caused delays. At the guest departure location, we had tents, heaters, generators, hot cocoa and hand warmers available for guests. We always strive to provide the best guest experience at our events and we care about their safety.”

Meanwhile, Biden used the occasion of Trump’s visit to the Nevada-Arizona border to urge Nevadans to vote and vote early for him, keeping the attention focused on the president’s handling of the pandemic

He said: “Nevadans live with the consequences of President Trump’s failures every single day. Covid-19 cases continue to rise across the state despite the president’s claims that we are “rounding the turn” on the pandemic. Nearly 200,000 Nevadans are out of work, yet the White House says they’ve given up on trying to control the pandemic. Businesses across the state are shuttered and Nevada’s economy remains fractured.

“With just three days of early voting remaining, the urgency of the moment is upon us. Only when we vote can we begin to steer America’s future in a new direction — a direction of truth over lies, science over fiction, and hope over fear.”