Independent Nebraska U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn appeared to confirm leaked audio on Wednesday in which he suggested people who supported President Donald Trump have lives that “suck so f—ing bad.”
In audio obtained by The Omaha World-Herald, Osborn seemed to be heard demeaning Trump supporters in Nebraska, claiming they only support the president because he’s “on the winning team.”
“Billy Bob in f—ing Red Cloud, Nebraska, who lives next door to the f—ing Trump store as you pull into town and is waving the Trump flag … all he knows is he’s like on the winning team,” the speaker who appeared to be Osborn said.
“He’s been so effective at taking Billy Bob and his wife Mary Jane or Mary Jo and telling them, ‘Look, we’re winning. You’re on the winning team.’ And that’s all they care about because their lives probably suck so f—ing bad.”
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When asked about the audio on CNN’s “Inside Politics with Dana Bash,” Osborn said, “It sure sounds like me,” but added that it sounded “out of character” for him.
“I talked to a tremendous amount of people and, again, I don’t remember the context of this one particular conversation, but it certainly does sound out of character for myself,” Osborn said.
“I’ve always lived by the golden rule — treat others like you want to be treated — and if somebody was offended by this, certainly I would apologize to those people that might be offended, but I got to tell them I feel their pain. I absolutely feel the pain. We’re all angry right now, and sometimes when you’re angry you say some things.”
During the interview, Osborn emphasized that the audio was not what he truly thought of Trump voters and instead a discussion on the “disenfranchised” voters.
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“I talked to a lot of Trump voters and … I’m talking about people are pissed off, people are disenfranchised, especially, and that’s what Trump captured in Nebraska. He captured people who are angry about the political system, and Trump ran outside of that as an outsider,” he said.
“That’s what people like about Trump. It’s why I’m running again as an independent running outside the political system because I’m tired of the two-party doom loop.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Osborn’s campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Osborn’s opponent, incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., told Fox News Digital, “I’ve been to Red Cloud. I’ve been to every corner of Nebraska. The people Dan Osborn is mocking are the hardest-working people in America. They don’t need a candidate who looks down on them. They need a senator who fights for them. That’s what I do every day.”
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Earlier this month, Fox News Digital obtained audio of Osborn suggesting he would appeal to Republican voters by distancing himself from progressive issues.
“The state is made up of 50% Republicans, 26% Democrat, 24% independents. So my win numbers, mathematically, I have to get probably 10-15% of Republicans to win this race. How am I going to do that by f—ing saying, ‘Oh, I love trans people, and they should be able to play in sports?’” Osborn said. “F— no, Jane, that’s not how I win. I win by s—ing on the party.”
In another clip, he was heard saying, “I have people recording me, so I can’t say I want to abolish ICE. I can’t say those words. I’ll be f—ed.”
Though Osborn has insisted he was “independent” of the two parties, Fox News Digital reported in May that Osborn’s campaign was predominantly funded by left-wing donors and activist organizations like ActBlue. Osborn has also predominantly supported other Democrats’ campaigns.
