Trump holds a rally in a Wisconsin town where his promises of new jobs are caught by Reuters
Written by Gram Slattery
RACINE, Wisconsin (Reuters) – Donald Trump addressed supporters on Tuesday at a rally in Racine, Wisconsin, seeking to portray himself as the best man in the American economy and even the largest local factory he started six years ago. flop.
The former Republican president was in the bustling, lakeside city in 2018 to celebrate what was expected to be a $10 billion investment by Taiwanese technology group Foxconn. During his 2017 to 2021 term, Trump praised the facility, which is designed to produce TVs, as an example of how his “America First” policies have revitalized American manufacturing.
But while Foxconn originally predicted 13,000 new jobs at the factory, the company now expects to create only about 1,500 positions. The vacant fields west of downtown Racine, connected by empty roads, serve as a local symbol of unfulfilled promises.
The company, which did not respond to a request for comment, previously said it had changed its plans due to the decrease in the expected number of the firm’s products.
“I think people take it as a joke,” said Nancy Anderson, a 67-year-old retired teacher, as she ate breakfast at a local cafe.
Trump’s speech to supporters in a park near the lake was ongoing from 3:45 pm local time (2045 GMT). Among the topics he will talk about, according to this campaign, is how the high rate of inflation under his opponent, President Joe Biden, has hurt the citizens of Wisconsin.
In a statement sent to Reuters, Trump’s campaign accused Biden of failing to control inflation and raise wages.
“Joe Biden’s policies have led to higher prices, lower wages, and a stagnant manufacturing industry for American families — and that has translated into lower approval ratings for Biden across Wisconsin,” said spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
Foxconn’s disappointing start has sparked a barrage of attacks from local and national Democrats who say Trump has failed to deliver on his economic promises. They hope the message will be heard in Wisconsin, one of several states expected to be contested in the November 5 election.
According to an average survey maintained by the polling website FiveThirtyEight, Trump leads Biden in Wisconsin by 0.2 percentage points, although he lost the state in 2020.
These candidates are fiercely competing for every vote. Biden was in Racine last month to applaud the construction of a $3.3 billion data center for Microsoft (NASDAQ: ) on the site where Foxconn was to build part of its manufacturing facility.
“Foxconn turned out to be just that — a fraud,” Biden told supporters at Gateway Technical College’s Sturtevant campus.
Still, Trump has a strong base of support, with many voters willing to move past Foxconn and some officials saying they’re glad any jobs are being created.
Anthony Eckman, 28, unemployed, said he was disappointed when the warehousing position he was planning to apply for at Foxconn failed.
But he said his finances have gotten worse under Biden, and he’s likely to vote for Trump this year, despite sitting out the last election.
“I wish we had better nominees this year, but Biden has shown no signs of improving this country in my opinion,” Eckman said. “I think I’m going to vote for Trump this year.”
Racine is about 40 miles south of Milwaukee, and is considered politically competitive even by Wisconsin standards. Trump beat the Democratic nominee in 2016 and 2020 by about 4 percentage points, while former Democratic President Barack Obama narrowly won the district in 2008 and 2012.
Last week, Trump called Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention will be held next month, a “bad city” during a meeting with Republicans in the US House of Representatives.
His campaign said he was talking about violent crime and alleged election security in the city when he made his comments.
