(WISCONSIN) — This week Wisconsin Democrats held Donald Trump and Mike Pence accountable for their failed COVID-19 response and the disastrous policies they’ve made that have crushed Wisconsin’s economy. Wisconsinites — from elected officials to organized labor to business owners — called out the administration for leaving the Badger state behind.
See what they said below:
CBS News: “”I think the Trump campaign is desperate to recover from an ongoing implosion,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said. “The challenge that the Trump team faces is that coming to Wisconsin just reminds people about how badly they’ve mismanaged the COVID crisis and the economy, even before the COVID crisis.”
WTMJ: “But the Democratic Party of Wisconsin says the Trump Administration has not delivered. ‘From failing to provide adequate PPP loans to black-owned businesses, relentlessly attacking protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and creating an economy where the Black community isn’t given the same opportunities to get ahead, Trump and Pence have proven that their toxic agenda isn’t designed to work for Black Wisconsinites,’ said party Vice Chair Felesia Martin.”
The Washington Post: In the western part of Wisconsin, farmers have been hammered by a crisis in the dairy industry exacerbated by Trump’s trade war and have shown signs of leaning toward Democrats. Trump has, thus far, fallen far short of his promises to rebuild the Rust Belt’s manufacturing base. Unemployment has skyrocketed to 12 percent in Wisconsin amid a similar rise in the rest of the country because of the coronavirus pandemic. Black voters in Milwaukee particularly hurt by the economic downturn are expected to turn out in more substantial numbers than they did in 2016.
Fox 11: “Green Bay, Marinette — we know what Trump stands for and it’s not for Wisconsinites. It is for himself, it is always been about me, me, me,” said State Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay.
WJFW: “But Nygren’s democratic challenger Karl Jaeger said it was the President’s botched response to COVID-19 that led to record unemployment and more than 120,000 dead due to the coronavirus. “He didn’t care about all the workers across Wisconsin whose jobs were lost before,” said Jaeger. “He still doesn’t care about the families he harmed with his actions, who are still trying to figure out how to pay for their healthcare, their rent, and the food they need to put on their table.”
WKOW: “I am gravely concerned,” said Ben Wikler, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “Political vanity trips in mists of the coronavirus pandemic do distract attention from resources that could be put into controlling this pandemic and getting our economy back to work,” he said.”
Urban Milwaukee: “Today, ahead of Mike Pence and Donald Trump’s visits to Wisconsin this week, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler, Oconomowoc Alderman and IBEW 494 Political Director John Zapfel, and Bounce Milwaukee Owners Becky and Ryan Clancy held a video press call highlighting the Trump administration’s hypocrisy on religious freedom, how they have destroyed Wisconsin’s economy and relentlessly attacked Wisconsin’s health care during a pandemic.
Gray TV: “State Democratic party leader Ben Wikler claims the visit is intended to distract voters. ‘He is desperate to change the subject,’ said Wikler. ‘The jobs that have been lost across the state, in our agricultural and industrial sectors, are not going to be rushing back.’”
WSAW: “Taking public health seriously both is the right thing to do, and it tracks with what the public wants,” state Democrat chair Ben Wikler noted. He said their state team, which is set to integrate with the Biden campaign team, made millions of phone calls, text messages and social outreaches for the April race and have been scaling up involvement in every election since 2016.
Fox 11: “The Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Philip Shulman released the following statement in response to the president’s visit to the state: “Today is nothing more than an election year photo-op for Donald Trump, whose failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic has risen Wisconsin’s unemployment to 12%. Trump didn’t care about the Badger state until he remembered his name will be on the ballot, as his chaotic trade wars and tax scam bill cost us 818 dairy farms and thousands of manufacturing jobs in 2019 alone. What’s more is Trump is continuing his callous crusade to repeal the ACA, which would strip millions of Wisconsinites of their health insurance, threaten protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and eliminate an affordable option for those who lost their employer-based health care during this pandemic. This is nothing more than a cheap ploy that Wisconsinites will see through as they plan to vote for Joe Biden come November.”