Author: Jake Schneider
One week after his visit to Janesville, Donald Trump returned to Wisconsin Saturday to spur voter enthusiasm in the key battleground state.
After hosting rallies in Ohio and North Carolina, thousands of Wisconsinites waited in eager anticipation for Donald Trump to arrive in Waukesha after a long wait in the cold on Saturday night. Despite the frigid conditions, the crowd gave Trump a warm welcome. Trump proceeded to discuss several key issues including what he has done for Wisconsin, the police, COVID-19, and other important topics that will influence many voters' decisions on Nov. 3.
Early on in the rally, Donald Trump talked about what he has accomplished for Wisconsin specifically.
First off, Trump mentioned how $28 billion has gone to farmers, including some of those in Wisconsin, because of his trade policy with China. Targeting the massive dairy industry in Wisconsin, Trump described how his new trade agreement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), has benefited dairy producers in the state tremendously and has prevented Canada from taking a stronghold on the dairy market. Along with benefits for farmers, Trump was ecstatic about the $5 billion military contract with Fincantieri Marinette Marine, a shipbuilding port in Marinette, Wisconsin, which he claimed will create 1,000 jobs for Wisconsin residents.
Given that this is Trump's second visit to Wisconsin this month, with another visit coming next week in West Salem, he and his campaign know just how critical it is to win Wisconsin. In the 2016 election, Trump heavily campaigned in Wisconsin weeks before the election and it paid off tremendously, prompting a win in the swing state and changing the outlook of the election. Trump assured his supporters that this election would be no different.
“This is going to be like 2016, except this time, we are going to win by a lot more,” Trump said.
Throughout the course of the speech, this theme continued to be present. The president repeatedly emphasized, “if we win Wisconsin, we win the election.” Although Wisconsin only has 10 electoral votes, it is a critical battleground state for both President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Besides expressing the importance of Wisconsinites voting in the upcoming election, Donald Trump discussed the main issues on his platform. The first issue that he spoke about was COVID-19. Staying consistent, Trump explained how his response saved thousands of lives, blamed China for the pandemic, and called for all schools to reopen. He also talked about his own experience having the virus, claiming that after one day he “felt like Superman.” He attributed his quick recovery to Regeneron's antibody cocktail, which Trump assured will be available to the general public very soon. “We are rounding the corner, we will be back to normal very soon,” Trump said.
Transitioning to the topic of law enforcement and civil unrest, Trump continued to demonstrate his support for all of those working in law enforcement and denounced the protests and riots that have been ongoing throughout the country. He was quite critical of the majority of Democratic governors, claiming that they failed to control the unrest in their respective states. However, he complimented Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers for quickly requesting assistance from the National Guard as protests erupted after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. President Trump assured his supporters that if he is reelected, he will continue to support law enforcement, increase the number of police officers, and tighten the penalty for attacking law enforcement officers. Trump continued to accuse Joe Biden and the “Radical Left” for supporting these riots.
“The Radical Left isn't trying to lead America, they are trying to burn it down,” Trump said.
Throughout the night, Donald Trump went on the attack against his opponent Joe Biden. Trump criticized Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden for their supposed involvement with Ukraine that led to a financial gain, citing a laptop that's rumored to have secret information. Additionally, he criticized the news media for not paying much attention to this story. The Trump campaign is continuing to use this as an attack on Joe Biden to create the narrative that the former vice president is a corrupt career politician. To really drive this point home with his supporters, the president used his recurring slogan of “I have done more in 47 months than Joe Biden has done in 47 years.”
Trump also brought up the accusation against former President Barack Obama and Joe Biden of spying on his 2016 campaign, calling both of them corrupt politicians. Amidst the jeers from the crowd, a “Lock them up!” chant roared from Trump's energized supporters in attendance. After the commotion settled, Trump made a bold statement, calling Joe Biden “the single worst candidate in the history of presidential politics.”
Although Trump appeared to act quite civil during the latest presidential debate, he was quite harsh towards his opponent during this rally.
With the election approaching quickly, Donald Trump successfully energized his supporters and is hoping that they will take this energy and enthusiasm with them to the polls on Nov. 3.
Currently, Trump is trailing Joe Biden in the polls by about 6 points. The president has some ground to cover and he is hoping to close the gap in the polls by the time Election Day rolls around. Joe Biden announced Monday during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania that he will visit Wisconsin on Friday. Historically known as a battleground state, Wisconsin will be a deciding factor in who wins the 2020 Presidential election.
