{"id":2270358,"date":"2024-06-18T10:21:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T14:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-rally-gives-trump-chance-to-smooth-over-horrible-city-firestorm\/"},"modified":"2024-06-18T10:24:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T14:24:45","slug":"wisconsin-rally-gives-trump-chance-to-smooth-over-horrible-city-firestorm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-rally-gives-trump-chance-to-smooth-over-horrible-city-firestorm\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin rally offers Trump opportunity to address &#8216;horrible city&#8217; controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwisconsin-rally-gives-trump-chance-to-smooth-over-horrible-city-firestorm%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2270358&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses former President Donald Trump&#8217;s planned visit to Wisconsin,\u2064 where he aims\u2062 to address recent\u200b controversy stemming from reports that he called Milwaukee a &#8220;horrible city&#8221; during \u200da <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-gov-cuomo-shunned-experts-embraced-lobbyists-drove-top-health-officials-to-quit-over-pandemic-response-report\/\" title=\"NY Gov. Cuomo Shunned Experts, Embraced Lobbyists, Drove Top Health Officials To Quit Over Pandemic Response: Report\">closed-door meeting<\/a> with House\u2063 Republicans. Trump&#8217;s comments allegedly \u2064pertained to issues like\u2063 the crime rate and election fraud in Milwaukee. Despite some GOP members providing varied accounts of what was said, this has raised concerns among Republicans about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/son-of-gaza-imam-seized-by-hamas-slams-terror-group-i-see-very-clearly-who-causes-our-suffering\/\" title=\"Gaza Imam's Son Criticizes Hamas: 'They Cause Our Suffering\">potential\u2062 negative impacts<\/a> on voter support in Wisconsin, a key battleground state. The \u200bvisit to Racine, billed as\u2064 an event to critique President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration, is also seen\u2062 as an opportunity \u2064for Trump to reaffirm his support for Milwaukee and improve his image ahead of the\u200d GOP convention there. \u2063Local Republicans and strategists \u200bbelieve the comments won&#8217;t cause lasting damage, focusing instead on\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mccarthy-rejects-power-share-with-democrats-to-keep-speakership-were-in-the-majority-no-surrender\/\" title=\"McCarthy refuses to share power with Democrats for speakership, asserting majority rule. No surrender.\">pressing national issues<\/a> \u2064like inflation and crime. Meanwhile, the Democrats have capitalized on the controversy by \u2063publicizing the alleged comments across Milwaukee. Trump has responded by affirming his concern about crime in Milwaukee and expressing his affection for the \u2064city. The upcoming GOP convention in Milwaukee involves\u2064 efforts to garner local support, including \u2064community engagement activities aimed at offsetting any adverse effects \u200bfrom Trump&#8217;s \u200bcomments.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> visit to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Wisconsin<\/a> on Tuesday will give him a chance to move past allegations he called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/milwaukee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Milwaukee<\/a> a \u201chorrible city\u201d in a meeting with House Republicans last week.<\/p>\n<p>The former president will address a crowd in Racine, a city south of Milwaukee, in an <a href=\"https:\/\/event.donaldjtrump.com\/events\/president-donald-j-trump-to-deliver-remarks-in-racine-wisconsin?_gl=1*1qkl9wk*_gcl_au*MjA3MTI1NjEzMS4xNzE4NjMzODAw&#038;_ga=2.120886411.2090620344.1718633801-453894288.1718633800\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>event<\/a> billed as attacking \u201cJoe Biden\u2019s failed presidency.\u201d But an open question is whether Trump attempts to smooth over comments he made on Thursday as House Republicans hosted him for a closed-door meeting in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p>Wisconsin lawmakers in the room deny Trump referred to Milwaukee, where the GOP will anoint him as their presidential nominee next month, as a \u201chorrible city\u201d as journalist Jake Sherman <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JakeSherman\/status\/1801263633160196419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> at the time. But their <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DanRShafer\/status\/1801277810088046893\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>varying<\/a> and at times contradictory accounts of what he did say helped balloon the story into a firestorm and suggested a degree of panic that his remarks could cost them in a state Trump narrowly won and then lost in his prior two runs for president.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), who represents parts of Milwaukee County, initially denied Trump called the city \u201chorrible\u201d but later acknowledged he brought up \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mattsmith_news\/status\/1801322694492746068\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>specific issues<\/a>\u201d there. Other members of his delegation said Trump was referring to the crime rate and unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has weathered other comments that Republicans say were taken out of context. When he warned of a \u201cbloodbath\u201d in March if President Joe Biden wins the election, made in the context of a trade war with China, his comments were interpreted as a call for political violence.<\/p>\n<p>But with his prospects for a second term on the line \u2014 Wisconsin was one of three blue-wall states that sent him to the White House in 2016 \u2014 at least some Republicans believe the \u201chorrible city\u201d comment, real or misquoted, undercuts the months of planning they have put into hosting a July convention they hope will make inroads in the state.<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic National Committee quickly paid for billboards plastering the comments around the city, while the Biden campaign\u00a0also ran a full-page ad in the <em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel\u2019s<\/em> Sunday paper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s comments are less than ideal,\u201d one GOP operative familiar with Wisconsin said,\u00a0speaking on condition of anonymity. \u201cThis is the sort of thing that fires up Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>GOP strategists in the state told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> they were not worried about the comments causing lasting damage, with the election hinging on the same issues that are top of mind for voters in every battleground state: inflation, the border, crime, and foreign policy.<\/p>\n<p>And Trump responded to the controversy in the hours after it was first reported, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/aishahhasnie\/status\/1801361200736837714\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>confirming<\/a> to Fox News that his comments were made with crime and alleged voter fraud in mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re very concerned with crime. I love Milwaukee. I have great friends in Milwaukee. But it\u2019s, as you know, the crime numbers are terrible. We have to be very careful,\u201d he said.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/aishahhasnie\/status\/1801361200736837714\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, Trump\u2019s remarks were a \u201chuge story\u201d in Milwaukee, according to Bill McCoshen, the former chief of staff to ex-Gov. Tommy Thompson. Tuesday\u2019s rally, he said, gives Trump an opportunity to tamp down any possible fallout from the news cycle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIgnoring it would be a mistake. He should hit it, and he should hit it head-on,\u201d McCoshen said, suggesting that Trump offer a \u201cpositive vision of why he loves Wisconsin, why he loves Milwaukee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Republicans don\u2019t expect to win Milwaukee in November \u2014 the county went for Biden by 40 points in 2020. But the city is not the progressive bastion neighboring Madison is known to be and is thought of differently by sports die-hards across the state who root for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks.<\/p>\n<p>As the largest metropolitan area in Wisconsin, it\u2019s also the biggest source of votes for both parties.<\/p>\n<p>Part of Republicans\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2439613\/blue-milwaukee-places-economic-hopes-in-gop-convention-aimed-at-defeating-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>convention strategy<\/a> has been to build goodwill in Milwaukee itself, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-rally-gives-trump-chance-to-clean-up-horrible-city-firestorm\/\" title=\"Wisconsin rally offers Trump opportunity to address 'horrible city' controversy\">delegates donating school supplies<\/a> and the Republican National Committee placing $100,000 in a minority-owned bank. Even a small shift in the share of residents casting votes for Trump could turn the outcome of the election, while his comments could have repercussions with suburban Wisconsinites who identify with the city.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMilwaukee is not Chicago or New York City. It\u2019s a well-liked city in the state even if it has real flaws,\u201d the first operative said, comparing Trump\u2019s comment to President Barack Obama\u2019s infamous \u201cYou didn\u2019t build that\u201d line during his 2012 run for reelection \u2014 a remark easily ripped of context and used as campaign fodder by opponents.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks, April 2, 2024, at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (AP Photo\/Mike Roemer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Trump\u2019s visit to Racine is evidence of the state\u2019s importance. It will be his third trip to Wisconsin since announcing his 2024 run.<\/p>\n<p>But McCoshen urged Trump to make visits to Milwaukee itself beyond the July convention, noting he needs to pull in 30% of the county vote if he hopes to win in November. He fell <a href=\"https:\/\/county.milwaukee.gov\/EN\/County-Clerk\/Off-Nav\/Election-Results\/Election-Results-Fall-2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>just short<\/a> of that threshold in 2020 and ultimately lost the state to Biden by little more than 20,000 votes.<\/p>\n<p>The same goes for Dane County, home to the city of Madison, he said: \u201cYou can\u2019t get crushed in those two counties, and that\u2019s what happened in 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s emphasis on public safety fits into a broader Republican narrative that Democrats\u2019 policies have led to the crime wave of recent years. Those numbers have begun to recede following a spike during the pandemic, in Milwaukee and elsewhere, but Republicans still believe it could be persuasive with swing voters. <\/p>\n<p>McCoshen saw no problem with Trump riffing on crime, as he did in his meeting with House Republicans, but advised that he emphasize how he plans to address it at his rally.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t just present problems \u2014 present solutions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>On allegations of voter fraud, he suggested Trump steer clear altogether. \u201cWith the general population, that will not play well,\u201d McCoshen said. \u201cIt\u2019s never a good idea in a campaign to be looking backwards. You always want to be looking forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Donald Trump will visit Wisconsin on Tuesday, aiming to shift focus from recent allegations of criticizing Milwaukee. He plans to speak in Racine, just south of Milwaukee, at an event criticizing &#8220;Joe Biden\u2019s failed policies.&#8221; This appearance follows claims he disparaged Milwaukee in a meeting with House Republicans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2270359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24093838022391-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2270358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24093838022391-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2270358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2270358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2270358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2270359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2270358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2270358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2270358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}