A confused President Donald Trump appeared to blend the name of his own endorsed governor with one of his favorite political targets at a Monday night rally in Nebraska, one of several stumbles during a speech that ran nearly 90 minutes, according to The Daily Beast.
The 80-year-old president traveled to Grand Island's Pinnacle Bank Expo Center to boost Gov. Jim Pillen and Sen. Pete Ricketts on the first day of early voting in the state, Nebraska Public Media reported. It was his first Nebraska campaign stop since 2022.
After reading a scripted attack on Pillen's Democratic challenger, former state Sen. Lynne Walz, Trump drifted away from the teleprompter.
"Probably, and I've known some bad governors, probably the worst governor in history, Jim Walz," Trump said.
He quickly tried to recover, adding that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "is, is the worst."
Trump went on to call Lynne Walz a disaster "just like her uncle or whatever the hell he is," and said the family comes from "a bad bloodline." The real relationship is far more distant, however. Lynne Walz is married to a third cousin of the Minnesota governor, The Washington Sun reported when she launched her campaign.
The flub was just one moment that drew attention.
Trump struggled to identify the giant video screens outside the venue, calling them "telerons or whatever the hell they call it" before someone corrected him with "Teletron." Earlier, he admitted he had no idea what red dye diesel was moments before signing an executive order expanding access to it. Furthermore, his gaze at aide Natalie Harp also set off a wave of reaction online.
When the speech ended, Trump walked past the opening in the curtain set aside for his exit and strolled the length of the stage to "YMCA" as Secret Service agents followed, The Daily Beast reported.
The stop is part of a swing through reliably Republican states where GOP Senate candidates are struggling, a strategy that has left some in his own party baffled. Ricketts is locked in a close race with independent Dan Osborn.
Trump: "Probably the worst governor in history -- Jim Walz" https://t.co/JF7oXF72P9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 6, 2026