Trump Reportedly Trashes Milwaukee As ‘Horrible City’ Weeks Before GOP Convention
Residents of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are probably cheesed off at Donald Trump after he called the site of next month’s Republican National Convention a “horrible city.”
The convention begins July 15, but the former president reportedly insulted the Midwestern city during a meeting on Thursday with House and Senate Republicans, according to journalist Jake Sherman.
“Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” is how Trump reportedly expressed his displeasure to the GOP members of Congress.
🚨TRUMP TO HOUSE REPUBLICANS:
"Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city."— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 13, 2024
Trump’s reported diss of Milwaukee comes amid speculation that he might not attend the GOP convention in person and instead hold convention-related events from Mar-a-Lago.
Wisconsin Republicans tried to defend Trump’s honor after Sherman’s initial tweet but didn’t seem to agree on the proper spin.
Dan Shafer, a Wisconsin-based political reporter, noted at least three different excuses for the comments were suggested.
One Cheese State Republican claimed Trump was griping about the city’s crime rate, while another claimed he was worried about election fraud, and a third said the former president never said the words.
Three Wisconsin Republican congressmen with three different stories about Trump calling Milwaukee a “horrible city.” pic.twitter.com/wEzcXddAbt
— Dan Shafer (@DanRShafer) June 13, 2024
Trump adviser Steven Cheung also claimed the reported Milwaukee insult was about “how terrible crime and voter fraud are.”
Wrong. Total bullshit. He never said it like how it’s been falsely characterized as. He was talking about how terrible crime and voter fraud are. https://t.co/BH0Q7exswB
— Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) June 13, 2024
However, social media users poked holes in Cheung’s defense by noting that other top Trump advisers are claiming it never happened, while another pointed out that “the fact there are no less than four completely different spin jobs going around on what he meant is proof the cleanup panic scramble is on.”
The Trump campaign later sent out a statement “debunking” the comments but offering the same three different spin jobs previously mentioned as evidence.
Wisconsin Democrats quickly responded to Trump’s Milwaukee insult with a statement by Democratic coordinated campaign manager Garren Randolph:
“If Donald Trump thinks Milwaukee is so horrible, then he shouldn’t come to our city. Milwaukee – our state’s largest and most diverse city and home to more than 577,000 people, the Bucks and Brewers, and the country’s best beer – deserves better than a convicted felon, racist, and wannabe dictator who hates us and our values,”
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin also sang Milwaukee’s praises and said Trump wouldn’t understand why the city is so great “even if a jury told him so.
Milwaukee makes the greatest beer, brats, and motorcycles in the world. It's home to some of our most vibrant communities, hardest workers, and is a part of what makes Wisconsin the best state in the nation.
Donald Trump wouldn’t understand even if a jury told him so. https://t.co/eHjLi4d6YN— Tammy Baldwin (@tammybaldwin) June 13, 2024
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson was also apparently unhappy with Trump’s comments and went on the attack during a press conference.
“I find it kind of perplexing, I find it kind of strange, that he would insult the largest city in Wisconsin because he’s running for president.
“He obviously wants to win Wisconsin, go win the election. And so to insult the state that’s hosting your convention, I think is kind of kind of bizarre, actually kind of unhinged, in a way.”
Other people suggested insulting Milwaukee might backfire on Trump since thousands of residents voted for him in 2020.
135,000 Milwaukee County voters supported Donald Trump in 2020. https://t.co/R1hhTf8fOm
— 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘑. 𝘋𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 (@StevenJDuffield) June 13, 2024
Others piled on:
I happen to love Milwaukee. pic.twitter.com/QRfgwbETV7
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 13, 2024
He actually said this today. Let’s do the billboard. https://t.co/tLqBQPT6eppic.twitter.com/jstJoFPoKh
— Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) June 13, 2024
Hey, Milwaukee! Let’s turn out in massive numbers and give Trump another fat L in Wisconsin! https://t.co/jTZqOzbptu
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) June 13, 2024
.@UWMadison political scientist Katherine Cramer's work on rural resentment would suggest that Trump's slamming Milwaukee could help him w/ rural voters in WI. One caution I'd have though is that WI doesn't have as steep an urban-rural divide as states like Ohio do. https://t.co/Mc3HGIA2BX
— David Darmofal (@david_darmofal) June 13, 2024
Milwaukee has a ton of heart and a ton of culture. Crooked Trump should call off his hate tour, go to one of the summer festivals by the lake, and keep his damn mouth shut. https://t.co/wSWwzyGhBD
— Rajan Narang (@rdnarang) June 13, 2024
Although Trump’s reported comments about Milwaukee were rude, he’s not the only Republican who has been giving the city short shrift.
Until a few weeks ago, the background image on the GOP convention website showed Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, not Milwaukee.
CORRECTION: A prior version of this story misspelled the name of Milwaukee’s mayor.
