The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has announced plans to run a new billboard campaign across Milwaukee featuring an alleged disparaging comment former President Donald Trump made about the city.
The former president is said to have told a group of House Republicans that the largest city in the key swing state of Wisconsin is a "horrible city" during a closed-door meeting on Thursday.
Trump, his 2024 campaign team and several Republicans have denied claims reported by Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman and CNN, and said the former president was talking about the crime rate in Milwaukee as being "horrible."
The DNC has said that 10 billboards across Milwaukee will feature the alleged remarks from Trump as a reminder to voters about the "contempt" the former president has for the city.
The Context
Wisconsin is set to be one of the battleground states in November's neck-and-neck presidential race, with President Joe Biden beating Trump in the Badger State in the 2020 election by only 20,000 votes.
Polls currently show that Biden and Trump are tied in Wisconsin with less than five months to go before the 2024 election.
What We Know
Trump visited the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday for the first time since the January 6, 2021, riot.
During a meeting with House Republicans, Trump is alleged to have said that Milwaukee is a "horrible" city.
A spokesperson for Trump's campaign told Newsweek: "This is fake news from a reporter who wasn't even in the room. He was asked a question about election fraud and crime in the city of Milwaukee, to which he replied those things are 'horrible.'"
The DNC said 10 billboards in the city will feature Trump's alleged comment ahead of his visit to Wisconsin next week for a campaign rally.
"The dislike is mutual—in 2020, Wisconsin handed Trump a one way ticket back to exile in Mar-a-Lago and sent President Biden to the Oval Office. In November, they'll do it again," DNC spokesperson Addy Toevs said in a statement.
"Trump hates Milwaukee because Milwaukeeans know exactly who he is—a sore loser who they're going to make a two-time loser this November."
Biden and his Democratic allies pounced on the alleged Trump remark.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Biden wrote: "I happen to love Milwaukee."
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said the alleged Milwaukee comment should be added to "the list of things Donald Trump is wrong about."
However, several Republican figures either denied Trump made the remark or said the former president was referring to the crime rate in Milwaukee.
Trump denied reports that he had disparaged the city, telling Fox News that it was "very clear" that he was talking about crime in the strongly Democratic city.
"I love Milwaukee, I have great friends in Milwaukee, but the crime numbers are terrible," Trump said. "But I was also referring to the election, the ballots, the way it went down, it was very bad in Milwaukee. Very, very bad. And the people understand that and they agree with me. Everybody agrees. That was a fake story that came out."
The DNC confirmed the locations of the 10 billboards in Milwaukee:
- West side of I-94, 2,000 feet north of Oklahoma
- West side of I-94 bridge, quarter-mile north of National
- West side of I-41 north of Silver Spring
- South side of I-94 east of 84th
- West side of I-94 at Layton
- South side of I-43, 200 feet west of 6th
- South side of I-43, 100 feet west of 20th
- West side of I-42 south of Walnut, facing south
- East side of I-43/94 at Rosedale
- South side of I-94 at 14th and St. Paul, facing east
Views
Wisconsin Republican congressman Bryan Steil said: "I was in the room. President Trump did not say this. There is no better place than Wisconsin in July."
Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said: "If Donald Trump wants to talk about things that he thinks are horrible—all of us lived through his presidency, so right back at you, buddy."
What Next
Milwaukee is set to host the Republican National Convention in July, where Trump is set to be confirmed as the GOP's 2024 nominee.
Trump will also be appearing at a campaign event in Racine, Wisconsin on June 18.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
