On the first day of early voting in battleground Wisconsin, President Barack Obama and Governor Tim Walz rallied voters in Madison, encouraging them to vote early for Vice President Harris, Governor Walz, and Democrats up and down the ballot. West Wing Actor and Wisconsin Native Bradley Whitford also spoke at the rally, firing up the crowd and making a clear case against Donald Trump.
In his sixth visit to Wisconsin since joining the ticket, Governor Walz outlined the stark contrast between Team Harris-Walz and the Trump-Vance ticket, outlining Vice President Harris’ plans to protect reproductive freedoms, lower costs, invest in communities often left behind, and more. The Governor also slammed Trump’s staged McDonald’s photo op, calling it “cruel” for a billionaire to use “people’s livelihood as a political prop,” and joked that Elon Musk had replaced JD Vance as Trump’s running mate.
Later, Governor Walz made a stop at a Black-owned Barber shop in Racine, Wisconsin, where he held a moderated conversation in which he touched on access to capital, guns, high medical costs, tax credits, and reproductive rights. Governor Walz ended his day with a raucous rally in Racine where he warned voters of the alarming new reporting from The New York Times’ bombshell interview with Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly as well as The Atlantic’s major story on Trump’s wish that he had “the kind of generals that Hitler had,” saying “if there was ever a red line, he has stepped across it.” He encouraged Wisconsinites to make a plan to vote by going to Iwillvote.com and cast their ballot for a New Way Forward.
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On the Airwaves
Reporter: “Former President Barack Obama and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz held an event in Madison. The two urged voters to cast their ballots for early in-person voting while in Madison. Obama spoke about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his age.”
Reporter: “Former President Barack Obama and Governor Tim Walz were in Madison yesterday campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris. This rally was at the Alliant Energy Center. It was part of the final two week push to connect with voters in swing states. Governor Tim Walz called Harris the ‘underdog’ in this race and encouraged people to get to the polls early. During his speech, Obama talked about the 2016 election, saying he understood why Donald Trump won, but urged Madison voters to not let it happen again.”
President Barack Obama: “And people started feeling like no matter how hard they worked, they were just treading water. So I understand why folks are looking to shake things up. I get it. What I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that’s good for you. That I do not understand.”
Reporter: “You just saw former President Obama was in Michigan. Well, he also made a visit to Madison. Minnesota governor Tim walz joined the former president. Since Madison is a Democratic stronghold, Walz and Obama tried to appeal to voters on what they say will be a new path forward.”
President Barack Obama: “Disturbing thing about this election, about Trump’s rise in politics, is how we seem to have set aside the values that we were taught.”
Governor Tim Walz: “We’re going to need a partnership and we’re going to need a Democratic House. Send [Representative] Mark Pocan back with a gavel.”
On WBAY (ABC – Green Bay, WI), Cami Rapson: “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and former President Barack Obama are in Madison today as they hold a rally for the Kamala Harris campaign. They just wrapped up at the Alliant Center before heading to another event in Wisconsin tonight. A series of speakers, encouraging Wisconsinites to vote early including Bradley Whitford from West Wing, Governor Evers, and of course, Obama and Walz. This is Walz’s sixth visit to the state since being named the VP [nominee] for the Democrats. Governor Walz slamming Trump and touching on reproductive rights, protecting the Affordable Care Act, and implementing greater gun control through his 30-minute speech.”
On MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, Nicolle Wallace: “As only he can do, President Barack Obama bringing down the house in Wisconsin. It is a newish speech there, that riff in the end is designed to appeal to people who say, ‘nothing in it for me.’ President Obama there, leaving it all on the field, as they say, in Madison, Wisconsin alongside vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.”
On MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, Nicolle Wallace: “This was also a stellar performance from Governor Tim Walz, who’s been under the national [headlights] of national politics for about four minutes. He turned a new phrase, I’m sure it will stick. I think he called Elon Musk a dancing dipshit. But President Obama with this Jeeves jab at Donald Trump: you think this guy can change a flat tire? No, he calls Jeeves, the butler. This was again, using the kind of humor that 100% of the time gets under the skin of men like Donald Trump.”
On WISC (CBS – Madison, WI), Arman Rahman: “The big thing that both of them talked about was getting voters in swing states – in battleground states like Wisconsin – out to the polls. […] This is the first day of early in-person voting here in Wisconsin and both sides – and all speakers – were very adamant on getting people out to vote.”
On MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports, Kelly O’Donnell: “Behind me right now is actor Bradley Whitford who is from the West Wing and is known for a lot of his entertainment work. But he also reminded this crowd he is from Madison, Wisconsin. And so he is making the appeal to his fellow Wisconsinites that, even though he might be in L.A. now, he understands and feels for them that they are in a pivotal state– a state that has traditionally, in a number of key cycles, had elections decided by a point or two. This is the first day of early voting, so he is among the voices here today, urging those who are able to vote to get out and record that vote early so that there won’t be anything that gets in the way. Part of what we expect from Barack Obama is that same message. He’s one of the biggest voices in the Democratic party and wants to encourage people across this state to register their votes now. And they’re trying to drum up– push up– votes in suburban areas and in places like Dane county, where it is not only the state capital, but it’s also a college town. They’ve seen the county growing in numbers of population, and they want to make sure they maximize that. So, that’s part of what’s happening here. Barack Obama is also, of course, going to hit a couple of the other key battleground states in the next few days. We’re at that point, so deep in the election season, where election day is now a living thing with early voting beginning, that the big names are coming out; in terms of entertainment, in terms of the political stars of each party, and certainly having the candidates out on the road. While Kamala Harris is in D.C. today, doing a couple of interviews, Governor Tim Walz will be here and then holding a rally later today in Racine.”
Online
@HeartlandSignal: Former President Barack Obama lauds Tim Walz’s “skills” in taking apart a vintage truck and putting it back together again:
“You think Donald Trump can do that? For that matter, do you think Donald Trump’s ever changed a tire in his life?”
@atrupar: “What in god’s name is happening right now? … he’s a 34 count convicted felon and adjudicated rapist … he brags about sexual assault. He mocks the disabled ” – @BradleyWhitford in Madison warms up for Walz and Obama by making the case against Trump – & he DOES NOT mince words
@Abigail Leavins: Crowd erupts in cheers following speech from actor Bradley Whitford about his support for Harris and Walz.
@NicholsUprising: Turns out that Tim Walz is kinda popular in Wisconsin.
@dylanewells: Gov. Tim Walz in Madison, WI calls Elon Musk Trump’s running mate and adds “Elon’s on that stage jumping around, skipping like a dipshit on these things…That guy is literally the richest man in the world, spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election.”
@shawnamizelle: Former president Barack Obama hits the stage in Madison, Wisconsin to rally for the Harris/Walz campaign.
He revealed he voted yesterday in Chicago. He says the election will be tight and urged voters to support Dems up and down the ticket.
@Kellen_Browning: Barack Obama joins Tim Walz on the campaign trail for the first time, here in Madison, Wisconsin.
@SamKraemerTV: On the way to his rally, @Tim_Walz stopped at Racine Barber Sports Co. to talk with the co-owners and community members just days after the campaign rolled out a plan to empower Black men. @fox6now
@mattsmith_news: 14 days out: Former President Barack Obama arrives in Madison on the first day of in-person early voting alongside Gov Tim Walz.
@MacFarlaneNews: NOW: Speaking at Walz campaign rally in Wisconsin, former President Obama mentions Trump’s argument that Jan 6 was a “day of love”
Obama goes on to say “You’d be worried if grandpa was acting like this”
@nnworcester: Tim Walz hits the stage. He begins by praising West Wing actor Whitford, who spoke earlier.
He says another speaker, Mark Pocan, should have a gavel (lead a committee) in the next Congress.
He credits Harris with fighting “transnational gangs” as well as “traffickers.”
@RicoReporting: Dem VP candidate Tim Walz meets with owners of Racine Barber Sports Co and community leaders.
“Access to capital is a big deal,” Walz said. “Not only is it hard, there’s barriers put in place and those things we know if you can’t get over that, you can’t get the first step.”
@dylanewells: Walz in Racine: “The guardrails are gone. Trump is descending into this madness, a former POTUS & the candidate for POTUS says he wants generals like Adolf Hitler had. Think about it, & he already has the Supreme Court in his pocket. They’ve effectively given him full immunity.”
@aaronpellish: During a Racine, WI rally @Tim_Walz responds to The Atlantic’s reporting that Trump once said he needed “the kind of generals Hitler had.”
“Don’t be the frog in the boiling water and think this is okay,” he said. “That makes me sick as hell, and it should make you sick.”
In Print:
New York Times: Walz Rallies Supporters on Wisconsin’s First Day of Voting, Alongside Obama
[Kellen Browning, 10/22/24]
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota raced across battleground Wisconsin on Tuesday, exhorting voters to get to the polls on the state’s first day of early voting and just two weeks before Election Day.
At a rally in Madison, Mr. Walz appeared alongside former President Barack Obama for the first time on the campaign trail, giving Mr. Obama a bro hug onstage. The two took turns, in successive speeches, laying into former President Donald J. Trump and stressing the urgency of the moment to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, who leads the Democratic presidential ticket with Mr. Walz.
“Our team is running like everything is on the line, because everything’s on the line,” Mr. Walz told the crowd of thousands at an event center. He urged voters to avoid complacency, suggesting that a second term for Mr. Trump would be even more chaotic than the first and that he was “far more dangerous” now.
“He is not the 2016 Donald Trump — this is a brand-new version,” Mr. Walz said. “The consequences of putting him back into office are deadly serious.”
In Racine on Tuesday night, he addressed comments from John Kelly, a former Trump chief of staff, who said recently that Mr. Trump had told him during his presidency that he wished he had generals like Adolf Hitler’s. “As a 24-year veteran of our military, that makes me sick as hell,” Mr. Walz said. “The guardrails are gone. Trump is descending into this madness.”
Politico Live Updates: Walz: Elon Musk is Trump’s ‘running mate’
[Meredith Lee Hill, 10/22/24]
Tim Walz issued his most blistering attacks against Elon Musk to date on Tuesday as the tech billionaire is increasingly wielding his influence to aid Donald Trump in the final campaign sprint.
“I’m gonna talk about his running mate — his running mate Elon Musk,” Walz told a rally crowd in Madison, Wisconsin, in a slight to the former president’s actual running mate JD Vance.
“Elon’s on that stage jumping around, skipping like a dipshit,” Walz said, referencing Musk leaping onstage during a campaign appearance with Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month. “Seriously, where is JD Vance?”
Associated Press: Obama and Walz urge Democrats to vote early in battleground Wisconsin
[Scott Bauer, 10/22/24]
Voters lined up across battleground Wisconsin to cast their ballots Tuesday on the first day of early, in-person voting, as former President Barack Obama and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz urged supporters in the liberal capital city to do the same. […]
Walz, the governor of neighboring Minnesota, called Harris the underdog and encouraged voters to do all they can to get people to the polls.
“Even one or two extra votes per precinct will be enough to win this thing and send Kamala to the White House,” Walz said.
Washington Post: Obama rallies with Walz in Wisconsin: ‘America is ready to turn the page’
[Dylan Wells and Amy B Wang, 10/22/24]
MADISON, Wis. — Barack Obama appeared at a rally Tuesday with Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz, marking the former president’s first event with a member of his party’s ticket since Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign in July.
Both Obama and Walz, the governor of Minnesota, implored a crowd of thousands in Wisconsin’s capital on the first day of early voting in the battleground state to cast their ballots early.
“If you haven’t voted yet, I won’t be offended if you just walk out right now! Go vote. Go do it,” Obama told the audience at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Washington Post: Walz dings Trump’s McDonald’s appearance as ‘cosplaying’ a worker
[Amy B Wang, 10/22/24]
Walz, who spoke first, attacked GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump for ducking another debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as for a stage-managed campaign stop he made over the weekend manning the fry station at a McDonald’s. […]
Walz also joked that billionaire Elon Musk had replaced Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as Trump’s running mate, mocking Musk’s sometimes eccentric behavior in his latest appearances campaigning for Trump. […]
Walz implored a crowd of thousands at Veterans Memorial Coliseum to cast their ballots early, on the first day early voting began in the battleground state.
Wall Street Journal: Tim Walz Flings Back Insults at Donald Trump, Mocks Elon Musk
[Tim Hanrahan, 10/22/24]
Walz, who has been a regular target of put downs from the former president, referred to Trump’s off-the-cuff comments and his discursive answers. “He calls it ‘the weave.’ Donald, come on, we know there is only one weave you know anything about, and it’s not this,” Walz said Tuesday.
He said Trump declined a second debate with Harris because of what he called Trump’s poor performance. “When you get your ass whipped that hard, you don’t come back for seconds.” He said Trump’s visit to a McDonald’s over the weekend underscored that he was a “clown.”
At a rally in Madison, Wis., Walz referred to Musk as Trump’s running mate and mocked his recent rallies, in which the billionaire unveiled a daily $1 million lottery for registered voters who signed his petition backing free-speech and gun rights.
Wisconsin Public Radio: Obama, Walz rally early Wisconsin voters in Madison
[Anya Van Wagtendonk and Anna Marie Yanny, 10/22/24]
On the first day of in-person early voting in Wisconsin, former President Barack Obama joined Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz in Madison to encourage supporters to turn in their ballots.
The two addressed thousands at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, where Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally last month, and highlighted the final sprint of the election cycle.
“When the stakes are the highest, winners are the ones who step up, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” said Walz.
WisPolitics: Obama and Walz question Trump’s mental competence at Madison rally
[Staff, 10/22/24]
Barack Obama and Tim Walz at a rally in Madison today questioned Donald Trump’s mental competence.
Obama pointed to Trump’s two-hour long campaign speeches, saying “you’d be worried if your grandpa was acting like this.”
The former president said that Kamala Harris, meanwhile, is “ready to do the job.”
NBC News: Obama says at Harris-Walz rally that he voted yesterday
[Katherine Koretski and Zoë Richards, 10/22/24]
Former President Barack Obama said today that he has cast his ballot in the general election.
“I voted yesterday,” Obama said as he campaigned for Harris in Madison, Wisconsin. “I got my ballot, filled it in, sealed it, signed it, and then I walked, which I don’t always get a chance to do, and Secret Service got nervous, but I said, ‘Now, let’s walk to a mailbox.'”
Obama encouraged supporters to vote and help their friends and families make plans to vote. “Because together, we’ve got a chance to choose a new generational leadership in this country and start building a better, stronger, fair, more hopeful America now,” he said.
NBC News: Walz calls Musk a ‘dips—‘ at campaign rally in Wisconsin
[Katherine Koretski and Raquel Coronell Uribe, 10/22/24]
At a campaign rally today in Wisconsin, Walz made jabs at both Vance and Elon Musk, saying Musk is Trump’s real running mate.
“I’m going to talk about [Trump’s] running mate — his running mate, Elon Musk,” Walz said. “Elon is on that stage, jumping around, skipping like a dips— on these things.”
Musk has been ramping up his campaigning for Trump while raising eyebrows from legal experts with his $1 million lottery-style daily giveaway for people who sign a conservative-leaning petition in battleground states.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Barack Obama fires up Wisconsin liberal base in Madison on first day of early voting
[Laura Schulte and Lawrence Andrea, 10/22/24]
MADISON – Former President Barack Obama reassumed his role as Wisconsin Democrats’ campaign closer on Tuesday, warning that former President Donald Trump wants “unchecked power” as he implored voters in this deep blue city to turn out to vote.
“We do not need a president who makes problems worse just to make his politics better,” Obama said at Alliant Energy Center on the first day of in-person early voting in the state. “We need a president who actually cares about solving problems and making your life better, and that’s what Kamala Harris will do.”
In a 41-minute speech, Obama railed against Trump, spoke of lessons from his presidency and pitched Vice President Kamala Harris as the best path forward. He was joined by Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, who panned Trump for not having the “stamina” to be president and said Trump is “far more dangerous” than he was in 2016.
“The good news is, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, they don’t have concepts of a plan. They have an actual plan to make your life better,” Obama said in a dig at Trump’s debate remark on replacing the Affordable Care Act. “That’s what they stand for.”
Fox News: Tim Walz slams Elon Musk as a ‘dip—-‘ during rally with Obama in Wisconsin
[Julia Johnson, 10/22/24]
Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., blasted billionaire X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, calling him a “dip—-” during a rally in swing state Wisconsin on Tuesday with former President Barack Obama.
“I’m not going to waste all the time on him,” Vice President Harris’ running mate told the crowd in Madison, Wisconsin. “I’m going to talk about his running mate,” he said. “Elon Musk.” […]
“Elon’s on that stage, jumping around, skipping like a dip—- on these things,” he said, likely referencing Musk’s appearance at a rally for former President Donald Trump.
“That guy is literally the richest man in the world, spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election,” the Minnesota governor told the crowd.
The Guardian: Obama and Walz excoriate Trump at Wisconsin rally in early voting push
[Alice Herman, 10/22/24]
On the first day of early voting in Wisconsin, Tim Walz called Elon Musk a “dipshit” while Barack Obama said of Donald Trump: “You’d be worried if Grandpa was acting like this.”
Both were speaking at a rally in Madison, a growing Democratic party stronghold, to encourage early voting and warn of the perils of a second Trump presidency. […]
The Democratic vice-presidential candidate ripped into Trump ally and Silicon Valley billionaire Musk, warning that he could be charged with regulating his own businesses if Trump were elected. Musk has also promised the chance to win $1m to voters in swing states who sign a petition linked to efforts to return Trump to power.
Walz also slammed Trump, who this week served meals at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, accusing him of “cosplaying” as a working-class person and noting that the restaurant had closed to accommodate the presidential candidate. “It was a stunt,” said Walz. “Fake orders for fake customers.”
Fox: Gov. Tim Walz in Racine; holds rally after Madison stop with former President Obama
[Sam Kraemer and FOX6 News Digital Team, 10/22/24]
Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz held a campaign rally in Racine on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The Minnesota governor flew with his daughter Hope to Milwaukee, where mayors Cavalier Johnson, Dan Devine, Dennis McBride and County Chair Marcelia Nicholson were there to greet him.
The motorcade then made its way to Memorial Hall in Racine, where Walz was introduced by a cancer survivor who spoke about the Affordable Care Act’s role in helping her pay medical bills.
NBC TMJ4 Milwaukee: ‘He’s a down-home guy’: Racine barbershop owners react to Gov. Tim Walz making pit stop at their business
[Megan Lee, 10/22/24]
Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz finished out his trip to Wisconsin at a rally in Racine Tuesday night.
“Wisconsin let’s win this thing,” Walz yelled to the crowd.
Hundreds of people filled Memorial Hall Tuesday night. The rally marked two weeks until Election Day.
“We have got to leave it all on the field. This is the time. Wisconsin you got same-day voter registration,” Walz said.
He touched on several topics besides encouraging people to get to the polls. He spoke on guns, high medical costs, tax credits, and reproductive rights.
He stopped at Racine Barber Sports Co. before he addressed the large crowd. The shop is locally owned and works to bring community resources together.
Racine County Eye: Walz visits Racine: Economic recovery and healthcare take center stage during run-up to Nov. 5 election
[Denise Lockwood, 10/23/24]
As the 2024 election approaches, Vice Presidential hopeful Gov. Tim Walz visited Racine Tues., Oct. 22, to highlight the Democratic plan for economic recovery and healthcare reform under a Harris-Walz administration.
He focused on policies to support middle-class families, small businesses, and access to healthcare.
During his speech, Walz emphasized the need for policies benefiting middle-class families and small businesses. The Harris-Walz ticket proposes middle-class tax cuts and efforts to lower prescription drug costs as essential components for their economic strategy.
“We need to lower costs for families and small businesses,” Walz said.
Healthcare was also a central theme, with Walz defending the Affordable Care Act and pledging to protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts.