Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, speaks to the media following meetings with Republicans on Capitol Hill at the National Republican Senatorial Committee headquarters in Washington, June 13, 2024.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
The Trump campaign denied calling the city “horrible,” writing in a press release that the reports were a “total lie.” Yet the campaign still seemed to imply that Trump was talking about the city in a disparaging way.
“President Trump was explicitly referring to Milwaukee’s problems, particularly violent crime and voter fraud,” the campaign said in its statement.
Several Republicans also denied making the comments during the meeting held at the Capitol Hill Club. The event took place just weeks before the Republican convention in Milwaukee, where the party is expected to officially nominate Trump as its presidential candidate.
Rep. Republican. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin responded to a post on X that reported Trump’s comment that Milwaukee is a “horrible” city.
“I was in the room. President Trump didn’t say that,” Steil said. “There’s no better place than Wisconsin in July.”
Other congressional Republicans sought to explain and contextualize Trump’s comments, rather than deny them. Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin wrote in an article on X that the former president was specifically referring to the city’s crime rate, while others reportedly said Trump was talking about election integrity.
Wisconsin is a key battleground state that Trump narrowly lost to President Joe Biden in 2020.
While Milwaukee, its largest city, has publicly welcomed the opportunity to host the RNC, the Democratic-led city has a shaky relationship with the Republican Party. CNBC reported June 6 that Milwaukee-based department store Kohl’s would not sponsor any events related to the Republican convention.
Democrats were quick to capitalize on Trump’s remarks.
In an apparent response, Biden on
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, a Democrat, said: “If Donald Trump wants to talk about things he finds horrible, we’ve all lived through his presidency, so let’s get back to you, buddy.” »
Garren Randolph, campaign manager coordinated by Wisconsin Democrats, said in a statement: “If Donald Trump thinks Milwaukee is so horrible, then he should not come to our city. »
“Milwaukee voters are tired of Donald Trump and extremist MAGA Republicans don’t care about them,” Randolph added. “We’ll see that at the RNC — and then again in November, when Wisconsinites send Donald Trump packing.”
A sign promoting Milwaukee as host of the 2024 Republican National Convention at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, on Tuesday, August 1, 2024. 22, 2023.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
It’s unclear whether Trump will be in Milwaukee to accept his nomination at the convention.
The former president was convicted in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records, and his sentencing is set for July 11 — the day before the Republican convention begins.
Some Democrats referenced Trump’s criminal conviction in their responses to his remarks on Thursday.
“Milwaukee makes the best beer, brats and motorcycles in the world,” the senator said. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., said in an article on Even If a Jury Told Her.
Rep. Gwen Moore, a Democrat who represents Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District, which includes Milwaukee, also referenced her belief in her response.
“Once settled in with his parole officer, I am sure he will discover that Milwaukee is a wonderful, vibrant and welcoming city, full of diverse neighborhoods and a thriving business community,” Moore wrote in an article on