Trump talks up Nevada GOP candidates in Vegas while touting the economy and tax policies
Gov. Joe Lombardo made a surprise appearance, saying the president’s ties with wealthy business owners help Nevadans.
Mini RackerKate Reynolds
James Wolfgang PerezTabitha Mueller
Election 2026
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President Donald Trump praised Nevada Republican candidates in a midterm year that’s expected to be an uphill battle for his party during a 75-minute campaign speech in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
As polling shows Americans souring on the state of the economy, the president sought to reframe the issue in his party’s favor.
Nevada’s GOP congressional nominees eagerly RSVP’d for the event at the Red Rock casino, however, there was uncertainty about whether Gov. Joe Lombardo (R), who faces one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country, would attend. But the governor did ultimately show up and speak, a bet that he’d benefit from appearing with the president.
Onstage with Trump, Lombardo said that the president “cares about America.”
“Quite often, when the press and the media runs him down, they think about, you know, ‘He’s taking care of his billionaire friends,'” the governor said. “But those billionaire friends provide jobs. And unless you take care of them, those jobs are absent.”
Lombardo and Trump both slammed what they view as a move toward communism among Democrats. “The government doesn’t have the ability to hand out infinite amounts of money,” Lombardo said. “That’s not how economies work. That’s why they are pushing socialism so hard. But President Trump has changed that whole mindset.”
Trump’s second trip to the city since April was framed by the White House as focusing on Trump’s tax policies. The midterms are expected to center on concerns about affordability, but during his speech, the president painted a picture of the economy roaring back to life.
“I want to thank all of the policies,” Trump said. “The tariffs have made us rich.”
He blamed other countries for imposing tariffs on the U.S. in the past, accusing them of having “screwed” America and calling Canada’s leadership “nasty.” He said tariffs have driven companies to invest in new jobs in Nevada and praised the stock market’s climb, as well as the Thacker Pass lithium mine — a project that the federal government in a rare move has a stake in
“What’s happening to this country is great,” Trump said.
After naming some of his wealthy Las Vegas-based friends, he mentioned his signature “no tax on tips” policy, which he conceptualized in Las Vegas on the 2024 campaign trail, as well as no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security, all created under last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The crowd, which numbered about 500, whooped.
Clark County saw some of the highest tax refunds in the country this year, although even some voters at the rally were still pessimistic about the economy.
Stephanie Giogaia, a Summerlin resident who owns a skincare business, said she’s trying to “stay afloat” and has “never had it so hard in her life.”
After the recent death of her partner, she found herself considering moving in with one of her daughters — a step she never expected she would have to take.
But she doesn’t blame Trump for the state of the economy. “People aren’t patient right now. … I believe in him. I know things are going to turn around.”
Eric Snow, a 56-year-old DJ who attended Trump’s event, told The Nevada Independentthat he considers himself “half a Democrat” and “half a Republican.”
“I think the inflation’s out of control, and gas has been a problem,” Snow said. “And we need to look at state taxes as well as federal taxes as far as how we gouge our citizens, because I think they’re getting gouged too hard.”
The president also mentioned Trump Accounts, investment vehicles for kids also created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He brought a family — including a toddler — who enrolled in an account to thank him
He also veered to a variety of topics unrelated to the economy. He commended Dana White — the president and CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship — for the martial arts event the organization recently hosted on Trump’s birthday on the White House’s South Lawn. He celebrated his crackdown on undocumented immigrants. He defended his endorsement record in Tuesday’s primaries, despite his pick in a U.S. House race in Michigan losing to a candidate who dropped out
“It was a little bit of a person that I thought was a good person, didn’t have much of a chance, but I said, ‘I don’t care,'” he said.
He also decried recent left-wing victories, especially that of Abdul El-Sayed, a doctor and progressive Democrat who won his party’s nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan this week.
“When I watch Abdul, he’s full of shit,” Trump said
He got the biggest applause of the day when he promised to pass the SAVE America Act. The effort to implement strict voter ID requirements is unlikely to pass the Senate. Opponents have raised concerns that the policy could disenfranchise voters who don’t have the evidence of their citizenship that it would require.
Lombardo made a surprise appearance at the event even as Trump’s approval rating has recently fallen to a record low. The governor skipped the president’s last visit to Nevada
“My team has advised me to stay on script, because that way the Democrats can’t clip my comments,” the governor said.
Nonetheless, his remarks got off to an awkward start as he recognized Las Vegas police officer Austin Abdelnabi, a 30-year-old who was fatally shot Tuesday while on duty
A member of the crowd booed, an apparent response to hearing a name that sounded like El-Sayed’s. Lombardo immediately admonished the boo, saying, “We’re not booing him,” and asked for a moment of silence in honor of the officer. Trump also recognized Abdelnabi’s death, saying he was an “incredible young man” who “died a hero.”
Lombardo in his remarks explicitly aligned himself with the president, saying Trump always takes his calls.
“With President Trump’s leadership and partnership, we had productive conversations,” Lombardo said. “There was several attempts to talk to the previous administration in my position as your governor, and it fell on deaf ears. … With President Trump in office, that communication is reciprocal.”
Lombardo’s opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford (D), slammed the governor for appearing at the rally, saying in a statement that Trump and Lombardo were “sharing a stage and trying to gaslight voters about the reality of the Lombardo-Trump economy raising costs.”
In the friendly room at the Red Rock, Lombardo talked up lower taxes, voter ID and immigration enforcement. He also criticized Ford, linking the attorney general to the Democratic Socialists of America and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). During the campaign, Lombardo has countered economic critiques by noting job growth under his administration and the generation of billions of dollars in new investments
“Will you please win by a big number?” Trump asked him early in his own speech, before bringing Lombardo onstage with him
A who’s who of Republicans show up for Trump
State Sen. Carrie Buck (R-Henderson) and video game composer Marty O’Donnell (R), the GOP nominees in the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts, respectively, also spoke prior to Trump. During their remarks, they highlighted anger at Washington, drawing boos from the crowd.
Nevada’s two other Republican congressional nominees, David Flippo (R) and Cody Whipple (R), did not speak onstage, though their representatives said they would be in the audience. Republican Attorney General nominee Adriana Guzmán Fralick led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Trump recognized all of those candidates, except for Whipple, by name. Republican secretary of state nominee Jim Marchant got a shoutout as well. Other attendees thanked by Trump included boxer Mike Tyson, Pawn Stars personality Rick Harrison and actor Dean Cain, who portrayed Superman in the 1990s television show Lois & Clark: The Adventures of Superman.
One Republican who was not there — Northern Nevada’s Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV).
“That’s nice of him to come and whatever,” Amodei told The Nevada Independentin an interview. “Let me know how that goes.”
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