Lombardo rallies with Trump, defends taking care of billionaires

Any doubt about Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s allegiance to President Donald Trump was put to rest Wednesday as they appeared on stage together at a rally in Las Vegas.

Lombardo, a first-term Republican governor up for re-election this year, was criticized for not attending a Trump rally earlier this year in April. At that time, Lombardo’s campaign said he would be meeting with Trump privately, though his staff confirmed later the two did not meet. Lombardo’s absence fueled political analyses that Lombardo wants to distance himself from Trump and his economic policies without losing the MAGA base.

But Lombardo appeared enthusiastic while on stage during a campaign-style rally at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday – first as one of several opening speakers before Trump’s arrival, then again toward the end of the president’s hour-long speech when he was invited up.

Lombardo used his time on stage to defend Trump for “taking care of his billionaire friends.”

“Quite often when the press and the media runs him down, they think about, you know, he’s taking care of his billionaire friends,” Lombardo said. “Those billionaire friends provide jobs. Unless you take care of them, those jobs are absent.”

He continued, “The government does not have the ability to hand out infinite amounts of money. That’s not how economies work. That’s why they’re pushing socialism so hard.”

Lombardo did not name drop any billionaires in his brief comment. But Trump directly addressed two that he said were in attendance: Frank Fertitta, the CEO and chairman of Red Rocks Resorts (the parent company of Station Casinos), and Phil Ruffin, the owner of Treasure Island. Trump also cracked a joke about Elon Musk, the world’s first trillionaire, being mad about an anti-electric vehicle policy.

Frank Fertitta, his brother Lorenzo Fertitta, and companies have donated several millions of dollars to Lombardo’s gubernatorial campaign. Another billionaire, Robert Bigelow, the owner of Budget Suites, heavily bankrolled Lombardo’s successful 2022 gubernatorial campaign.

Lombardo this election season has a massive fundraising advantage, in large part to donations from billionaires and their corporations.

In his on-stage comments before Trump’s arrival, Lombardo told the crowd that he and the president have had “productive conversations.”

“He has always taken my phone call,” Lombardo said. “He’s always taken my phone call, and that’s the way the partnership at the state level needs to be with at the federal level.”

The governor said he “spoke directly” to Trump about the potential loss of a thousand  solar industry jobs and that Trump took action because of it.

On his end, Trump briefly praised Lombardo, saying he’s “doing a great job.”

“Will you please win by a big number?” he joked.

Lombardo is facing Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford this November. Lombardo referenced Ford, painting him as a radical who wants to raise taxes, embraces democratic socialist policies and is aligned with California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Ford on Wednesday called Lombardo “a human doormat for Trump.”

“Trump is in Las Vegas campaigning with Joe Lombardo and together they’re sharing a stage and trying to gaslight voters about the reality of the Lombardo-Trump economy raising costs on Nevadans,” Ford said in a statement. “Lombardo and Trump have spent their tenure catering to billionaires who are raising costs on Nevadans instead of lowering costs for working families.”

The Nevada State Democratic Party ahead of Trump’s visit unveiled billboards attacking Lombardo’s relationship with Trump. The Culinary Union held a press event to highlight what they and others have dubbed “the Trump slump.”

“Trump’s tariffs, chaotic immigration and mass deportation policy, the war in Iran, and high grocery and gas prices are hurting working families and driving away the Canadian, Mexican, Southern California, and international tourism Nevada depends on,” said Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, in a statement Wednesday.

Gallup surveys from July suggest “Americans remain broadly pessimistic about the economy.” Here in Nevada, tourism numbers remain sluggish.

But Trump acknowledged none of that, instead saying that the economy was booming and families thriving. He highlighted his “no tax on tips” policy, which he claims a beautiful waitress suggested to him while serving him dinner before a Las Vegas rally in 2024. That provision, along with “no tax on overtime” and “no tax on social security” policies, were passed as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year.

Trump brought on stage with him a Las Vegas family of four, which included two kids with “Trump accounts,” tax-advantaged accounts seeded with $1,000 from the federal government. He also brought up a Teamsters Local 631 member who came on stage and said he’d lost a lot during a recent divorce but his tax refund was large enough he could buy a house.

Others in attendance

In addition to inviting Lombardo on stage with him, Trump gave shoutouts to numerous Republicans who will be on the ballot this November, including attorney general candidate Adriana Fralick Guzman, secretary of state candidate Jim Marchant, Congressional District 2 candidate David Flippo, Congressional District 3 candidate Marty O’Donnell, and Congressional  District 1 candidate Carrie Buck. All attended the rally.

Cody Whipple, the Republican nominee for Congressional District 4, was at the rally but was not mentioned. Whipple has not been endorsed by Trump, as the others have.