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Trump refers to Milwaukee as 'horrible' just before the city hosts the Republican convention

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Trump refers to Milwaukee as 'horrible' just before the city hosts the Republican convention


MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump used the word “horrible” in talking about Milwaukee — the city where he will accept the Republican nomination next month — during a closed-door meeting Thursday with GOP congressmen, according to several people in the room who spoke afterward.

The comment, first reported by Punchbowl News while the meeting was in progress, immediately drew disagreements from those there about what Trump meant.

Several congressmen who support Trump and attended the meeting argued he was referring to crime and voter fraud. Trump frequently denounces Democratic-led cities as unsafe — even as violent crime decreased nationally in the most recent FBI statistics — and repeats falsehoods about his loss in the 2020 election.

President Joe Biden’s campaign and his Democratic allies pounced on the reported remark even as Wisconsin Republicans contested how it was being interpreted. Biden posted a photo on the X social platform of himself greeting the Milwaukee Bucks after their 2021 NBA championship with the message: “I happen to love Milwaukee.”

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Milwaukee is hosting the Republican National Convention starting July 15 and is the largest Democratic stronghold in swing-state Wisconsin.

Trump is scheduled to be in Racine, Wisconsin, for a campaign rally on Tuesday, just three weeks before heading to Milwaukee for the convention.

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Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung posted on X that Trump “was talking about how terrible crime and voter fraud are.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who represents western Wisconsin, said Trump was talking about the “terrible or horrible” crime rate in the city.

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“He was directly referring to crime in Milwaukee,” said Van Orden, who told The Associated Press he was sitting just feet from the former president.

He said Republicans in the room concurred. “They’re like, yeah, crime is terrible.”

U.S. Rep, Scott Fitzgerald, also from Wisconsin, told WISN-TV in Milwaukee that Trump was referring to election integrity.

“That’s where the comment came from, that Milwaukee’s just terrible,” Fitzgerald said. “What he was talking about was the elections in Milwaukee, their concerns about them.”

But Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, who represents southeast Wisconsin, disputed that Trump made the comment.

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“I was in the room,” Steil posted on X. “President Trump did not say this. There is no better place than Wisconsin in July.”

And Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents northern Wisconsin, said he never heard Trump call Milwaukee a “horrible city.”

“What I heard is to make sure there’s election integrity in Milwaukee,” Tiffany said in a telephone interview. “He’s talking about the states that are in play and the states of greatest importance and Wisconsin is top of the list.”

A Trump aide and two attorneys who advised him in 2020 were charged with felonies last week in Wisconsin for their roles in a scheme to get Republicans to cast Wisconsin’s electoral ballots to Trump even though he lost the state.

Government and outside investigationshave uniformly found there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could have swung the 2020 election. But Trump has continued to spread falsehoods about the election, particularly in Wisconsin.

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Republican Rep. Jim Banks, of Indiana, said he was also in the room and “Trump never disparaged Milwaukee.”

“Just another Democrat hoax,” Banks posted on X.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, when asked about Trump’s reported remarks, said at a news conference, “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.”

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, a Democrat who represents and lives in Milwaukee, made a nod to Trump’s recent felony convictions in her response. Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in New York on July 11, days before the convention opens.

“Once he’s settled in with his parole officer, I am certain he will discover that Milwaukee is a wonderful, vibrant and welcoming city full of diverse neighborhoods and a thriving business community,” Moore posted on X.

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Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is up for reelection this year, said on X that Milwaukee is “part of what makes Wisconsin the best state in the nation. Donald Trump wouldn’t understand even if a jury told him so.” She used the Trump comment in a fundraising plea hours after it was first reported.

Local and statewide Democratic leaders, including Gov. Tony Evers, worked with Republicans to land the convention this summer.

Evers, in response to Trump’s comment, posted on X: “Add it to the list of things Donald Trump is wrong about.” He followed it with an emoji of a clown face.

Milwaukee was supposed to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, but that was moved almost entirely online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

___ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

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Milwaukee, WI

Biden campaign: Milwaukee Democratic leaders slam Trump for trashing Wisconsin’s most diverse city

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Biden campaign: Milwaukee Democratic leaders slam Trump for trashing Wisconsin’s most diverse city


Today, State Representative Kalan Haywood and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley held a press conference slamming Donald Trump for insulting Milwaukee and highlighting the RNC’s abandoned outreach to minority communities. The press conference was held at a local brewery that is now selling their “(not so) Horrible City” IPA after Trump disparaged Milwaukee.

The press conference follows reports that Donald Trump called Milwaukee “horrible” in a closed-door meeting last week and then planned to avoid spending time in Wisconsin’s most diverse city by staying at Trump Tower in Chicago during the Republican National Convention.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley speaking at the press conference

State Representative Kalan Haywood speaking at the press conference

“Here’s the truth: Donald Trump looks down on Milwaukee, on Wisconsin, on anyone who isn’t one of his billionaire donors. If he bothered to come to Milwaukee and actually listen to or respect voters here, he’d learn that we are fed up with his efforts to strip away reproductive rights from women, to raise health care costs for working families, to cut the Social Security and Medicare our moms and dads rely on,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “President Biden would never disparage this city. He loves us, he respects us, and more than that, he’s a decent man. A person of character, who wants to be a president for all Americans – including Wisconsinites. So, to Trump, I say, ‘You think our city is so horrible? This November, we’re going to send you packing – just like we did in 2020.’”

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“Our Black and Latino communities are what make us strong – and this November, it will be us who decide the presidential election here in Wisconsin, and likely in the country as a whole. So, when Trump called our city ‘horrible’ in a closed-door meeting with MAGA Republicans last week, we knew what that was. Yet another racist dog whistle,” said State Representative Kalan Haywood. “Trump ignoring our communities was already insulting – and then he went and actually insulted our city. I’ll be voting for President Biden, and I know I’m not the only one who’s fed up with Trump’s racist attacks.”

“When I heard about Donald Trump calling my city ‘horrible’ last week, I was not just surprised, but truly shocked and angered by this. It’s enough that he is so terrible on all the issues that matter to me – protecting Social Security and Medicare, creating good jobs and strengthening the economy, safeguarding our democracy. But to also disrespect us? It’s just adding insult to injury,” said Sabrina Jordan, Biden-Harris 2024 volunteer. “I think he fears the coalition we formed in 2020 – the one that roundly rejected him and is the reason he lost that year. He recognizes the strength of the city he dismisses as ‘horrible,’ and is deeply afraid of it.”

While Trump tries to get away with spending as little time as possible in Wisconsin, the Biden-Harris campaign, Democrats, and the DNC are building the infrastructure to win with over 100 staff on the ground and 47 coordinated campaign offices across the state. Unlike Trump, Team Biden-Harris loves Milwaukee – for the first time in 20 years, the Democratic Coordinated HQ is based in Milwaukee, underscoring the importance of key constituencies in the city, including minority voters.

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Milwaukee, WI

Brook Lopez’s Future With Milwaukee “Up In The Air” As Team Looks At New Defensive Scheme

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Brook Lopez’s Future With Milwaukee “Up In The Air” As Team Looks At New Defensive Scheme


Bucks Stars’ Jrue Holiday & Brook Lopez high-five during game against Cleveland – Photo by Behind The Buck Pass

MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – The Milwaukee Bucks may look different in the 2024–25 season as one of their key players may be moved this offseason.

According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, there are “rumblings that the Bucks would like to play a more versatile style of defense next season, which raises the question of whether Brook Lopez has a future there.”

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O’Connor further noted that the Bucks could trade Lopez to a team like Toronto for forward Bruce Brown since they’d have a “perfect match of salaries, and then the Raptors could flip Lopez elsewhere.” Brown, who averaged 10.8 points per game and 4.2 rebounds in 2023, is seen as an ideal fit for Milwaukee due to “the amount of screening and cutting Brown could do in support of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, which would be glorious to watch.”

The 2024 NBA draft is only a week away, and it’s believed Milwaukee could deal Lopez to move up into the top 15 to draft his replacement, which could include former Baylor center Yves Messi or former Colorado froward Tristian Da Silva due to their abilities to play the more spread out and athletic versions of defense now seen across the league. The Bucks have also been linked to French forward Pacome Dadiet and former G-League star forward Tyler Smith, who both worked out for Milwaukee earlier this month, but other targets for the Bucks, if they move up, may also include former Purdue center Zach Edey or Providence guard Devin Carter, who could replace Patrick Beverley if he signs elsewhere in free agency.



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Milwaukee, WI

Motorcyclist dies in high-speed crash in Milwaukee, police say

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Motorcyclist dies in high-speed crash in Milwaukee, police say


A 27-year-old motorcycle driver is dead after crashing into a moving car at a high rate of speed, according to Milwaukee police.

Police said the crash happened Wednesday around 9 p.m. in the 3200 block of South Chase Avenue. The motorcycle was traveling north when it collided with the car.

The driver of the car, 20, remained on scene, police said, adding the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any information can contact police at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or by using the P3 Tips app.

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As of Monday, 31 people have died in crashes this year in Milwaukee, according to police. Last year, 75 people died in crashes.



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