Trump Goes Back to Wisconsin to Kick Off the Last Weekend of Campaigning
A candidate from another race made a return to the location of the Republican National Convention.
TroibNews 
MILWAUKEE – Donald Trump recently stood at the forefront of his third presidential campaign when he entered Fiserv Forum less than four months ago, sporting a bandaged ear from a prior assassination attempt and enjoying rising poll numbers against a weakened rival.
This visit lacked a live performance of his walkup song “God Bless the USA,” and the visible bandage was gone. Now, during a final push through battleground states, Trump is contending in a race that has grown nearly tied thanks to Kamala Harris.
“You remember, just five months ago, everybody was saying she couldn't run, she’s grossly incompetent, she was the worst vice president in history,” Trump proclaimed from the same arena where the Republican National Convention took place in July, when many believed his victory was certain.
During his speech, he made his typical exaggerated claims about his polling position but encouraged supporters to “just pretend” he’s in a tight race so they feel compelled to vote.
“We're doing great. We're leading, just about, I think, all seven swing states,” Trump added. “But don't listen to me now. Don't listen. Just pretend we’re one down. We're one point down. Please.”
The enthusiasm of his Milwaukee audience remained evident months later, with neon yellow and orange visibility vests scattered throughout the crowd in recognition of Trump having worn one during a recent stunt in a Green Bay garbage truck, a response to President Joe Biden's controversial “garbage” remarks.
Trump took issue with the event’s audio team after attendees in the rear of the venue repeatedly indicated they couldn’t hear him. He brought the microphone closer and delivered much of his speech in a standup comic style, expressing his frustration with the “stupid people” responsible for the sound setup by saying he was “seething.”
“Do you want to see me knock the hell out of people backstage?” Trump asked, which elicited cheers from the crowd.
Meanwhile, several miles away, Harris was conducting her own get-out-the-vote event aimed at energizing supporters in the state. Recent polls in Wisconsin, reflecting trends in other battleground areas, show the race very tight. Just days prior, Trump and Harris held a series of competing rallies in a state that saw very narrow margins in the 2020 election.
Much like her rally in Madison earlier in the week, Harris’ event featured various celebrity entertainers, contrasting sharply with Trump’s lengthy speeches tailored to his base.
Brian Schimming, chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party, addressed the audience at Fiserv, recalling how much had changed since July. He highlighted the “history” the party made in that “very same room” when nominating Trump for a third time at the summer convention.
“Just 48 hours after that,” Schimming remarked, “the Democratic Party dumped their four-year president and made Kamala Harris their nominee.”
The crowd responded with loud boos.
Trump aims to regain the working-class coalition that helped secure his victory in Wisconsin in 2016, the first Republican win in the state since 1984.
Emphasizing the tightness of the race, former Governor Scott Walker urged attendees to “contact at least 47 more voters” in Wisconsin, referencing Trump as the potential 47th president if elected, encouraging them to persuade others to support Trump.
“Tell them this,” Walker stated. “No matter what they think about the posts or the tweets or the comments, this is the truth. Life was better when Donald Trump was president.”
Walker was joined by another former Wisconsin governor, Tommy Thompson, the longest-serving governor in the state’s history, who passionately asserted that Republicans “are not garbage people!” and shared that two of his former staffers helped conceive the idea for Trump’s recent ride in the garbage truck in Green Bay.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
This visit lacked a live performance of his walkup song “God Bless the USA,” and the visible bandage was gone. Now, during a final push through battleground states, Trump is contending in a race that has grown nearly tied thanks to Kamala Harris.
“You remember, just five months ago, everybody was saying she couldn't run, she’s grossly incompetent, she was the worst vice president in history,” Trump proclaimed from the same arena where the Republican National Convention took place in July, when many believed his victory was certain.
During his speech, he made his typical exaggerated claims about his polling position but encouraged supporters to “just pretend” he’s in a tight race so they feel compelled to vote.
“We're doing great. We're leading, just about, I think, all seven swing states,” Trump added. “But don't listen to me now. Don't listen. Just pretend we’re one down. We're one point down. Please.”
The enthusiasm of his Milwaukee audience remained evident months later, with neon yellow and orange visibility vests scattered throughout the crowd in recognition of Trump having worn one during a recent stunt in a Green Bay garbage truck, a response to President Joe Biden's controversial “garbage” remarks.
Trump took issue with the event’s audio team after attendees in the rear of the venue repeatedly indicated they couldn’t hear him. He brought the microphone closer and delivered much of his speech in a standup comic style, expressing his frustration with the “stupid people” responsible for the sound setup by saying he was “seething.”
“Do you want to see me knock the hell out of people backstage?” Trump asked, which elicited cheers from the crowd.
Meanwhile, several miles away, Harris was conducting her own get-out-the-vote event aimed at energizing supporters in the state. Recent polls in Wisconsin, reflecting trends in other battleground areas, show the race very tight. Just days prior, Trump and Harris held a series of competing rallies in a state that saw very narrow margins in the 2020 election.
Much like her rally in Madison earlier in the week, Harris’ event featured various celebrity entertainers, contrasting sharply with Trump’s lengthy speeches tailored to his base.
Brian Schimming, chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party, addressed the audience at Fiserv, recalling how much had changed since July. He highlighted the “history” the party made in that “very same room” when nominating Trump for a third time at the summer convention.
“Just 48 hours after that,” Schimming remarked, “the Democratic Party dumped their four-year president and made Kamala Harris their nominee.”
The crowd responded with loud boos.
Trump aims to regain the working-class coalition that helped secure his victory in Wisconsin in 2016, the first Republican win in the state since 1984.
Emphasizing the tightness of the race, former Governor Scott Walker urged attendees to “contact at least 47 more voters” in Wisconsin, referencing Trump as the potential 47th president if elected, encouraging them to persuade others to support Trump.
“Tell them this,” Walker stated. “No matter what they think about the posts or the tweets or the comments, this is the truth. Life was better when Donald Trump was president.”
Walker was joined by another former Wisconsin governor, Tommy Thompson, the longest-serving governor in the state’s history, who passionately asserted that Republicans “are not garbage people!” and shared that two of his former staffers helped conceive the idea for Trump’s recent ride in the garbage truck in Green Bay.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
