With just a month to go until the Republican National Convention, leading candidate and former President Donald Trump is finding himself in hot water after reportedly calling the host city of the convention “terrible” during a meeting with Republican lawmakers.
President Trump reportedly called Milwaukee a “bad city” while meeting with House Republicans on Thursday. From Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News.
Following the report, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson was quick to defend the city when asked to comment on Trump’s comments at a press conference.
“If you want to talk about how you think Donald Trump is awful, we’ve all lived through his presidency, so I’ll say the same to you,” Johnson said. “It’s a little weird for him to insult the largest city in Wisconsin just because he’s running for president. He definitely wants to win Wisconsin, he definitely wants to win the election, so I actually think it’s a little weird for him to insult the state that’s hosting the convention. It’s a little weird.”
Wisconsin Republicans were among the GOP leaders who spoke out against the report. “I was in the room. President Trump never said that. There’s no better place than Wisconsin in July,” Rep. Brian Steil tweeted.
Other Republicans argued the quote was taken out of context.
“Trump was specifically referring to Milwaukee’s crime rate.” Rep. Derrick Van Alden said:
Regardless of Trump’s intentions, city leaders said they are making progress in reducing crime and investing in public safety.
Peggy Williams Smith, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee, responded to Trump’s comments in the following statement:
“Milwaukee is an amazing city. Millions of tourists visit every year and are enchanted by what our city has to offer. The Washington Post named Milwaukee one of the best cities in the country for summer. Top Chef loved it so much they filmed an entire season here, and we know it’s only a matter of time before everyone discovers all the great things our city has to offer.”
The tourism bureau also noted that National Geographic included Milwaukee in its 2023 “Best Places in the World” article after author Andrew Nelson, enamoured by the city’s lakefront, museums and Midwestern hospitality, included it in his book, “Here Not There.”
“People who haven’t been (to Milwaukee) may not realize what an incredible city it is, so I’m really optimistic that all of the newcomers who are coming to Milwaukee this July are going to find it’s a really charming city with the friendliest people you can imagine,” said Nelson, the National Geographic book author.
New questions are also emerging about whether Trump will attend the Republican National Convention in person, as his sentence will be handed down on July 11, four days before the convention begins on July 15.
A report published by NBC News detailed how the former president is preparing for the possibility of being placed under house arrest and unable to attend the convention.
