‘Trump Barn’ regains its sign, thanks to anonymous donor and installation help

ASHLAND, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – Online trolls had a field day in March when Nebraskans got wind that a stiff breeze had taken a political sign that named a red barn along Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska.

Much of the social media discourse centered on a combination of higher gas prices, tariffs, war, political fatigue and polling headwinds during the second term for President Donald Trump.

The barn’s owner, farmer Alan Volger, told the Nebraska Examiner at the time he probably couldn’t afford another red-letter “TRUMP” sign, nor could he physically put a new sign up.

“I gotta have somebody else put signs up,” he said. “I don’t care how high it goes, I gotta keep one foot on the ground.”

Volger said the timing seemed OK since the president is term-limited and cannot run again. He still had his signs up supporting property tax reform and opposing abortion.

But this week, Dr. Pat Castle of LIFE Runners, an anti-abortion group from Lincoln, and a friend of Castle’s who owns a lift, posted a new “TRUMP” sign on the “Trump Barn.”

They had funding help from a supporter of Nebraska Secretary of State candidate Scott Petersen, who paid for the sign and let his preferred candidate for Nebraska’s top election official take the credit.

Petersen and fellow Republican Secretary of State Bob Evnen have been in a pitched primary race over the future of counting votes in Nebraska elections. Both have expressed support for Trump.

So this week a different set of online trolls had a good day, punching back against the Nebraskans who had said they were ready to see something else driving from Omaha to Lincoln.

One said, “He made his barn great again.”

Critics also clapped back. One said, “Surprised they could afford to drive it there with the price of diesel.”

Volger, on Friday, said he had heard from a number of people who wanted the sign back up, and he said a bunch of people driving on I-80 when it went back up on Wednesday honked at them.

He said even the Nebraska State Patrol has used his barn as a landmark, recalling a lost man he saw wandering on his property that troopers said the barn helped them locate.

His goal for this year is to get the barn repainted so it looks a little nicer in the pictures people share online. He said his painter agreed to take the signs down and put them back up.

“I’m sure not doing it,” Volger said, laughing.

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