GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Former President Donald Trump is set to visit Green Bay next week, coinciding with Wisconsin’s presidential primary.
Trump will host a campaign rally April 2 at the KI Convention Center. It comes as President Joe Biden has made several stops of his own in Wisconsin as the November general election inches closer.
“This entire election could come down to 5,000 or 10,000 votes in this state, so every visit counts,” said Jerald Podair, a history professor at Lawrence University.
Trump’s rally Tuesday will be the first time in nearly two years he’s campaigned in Wisconsin. In August 2022, Trump visited Waukesha to throw his support behind governor candidate Tim Michels.
The last time Trump visited the Green Bay area was in 2020 at Austin Straubel International Airport. Since becoming president, Biden has personally visited Wisconsin nine times. His most recent visit came on March 13 in Milwaukee.
Podair says making appearances will be important for both sides leading up to November 5.
“You’re better off showing your face here, because obviously, Hillary [Clinton] didn’t come at all in 2016, but it’s quite possible that in late October, one candidate or the other will come here and say, ‘You know, I’ve been here five times, but my opponent has only been here three times’ and even something like that might make a difference.”
Wisconsin has become a big battleground state in recent years. Trump eked out a victory here in 2016 en route to becoming president, and Biden flipped the script with his own marginal win over Trump in 2020.
Brown County’s Republican Party says it is looking forward to Trump’s visit.
“I think it’s really important for us to hear what he’s thinking and what his message is going into the election in fall,” said Doug Reich, the chair of the Republican Party of Brown County.
Meanwhile, President Biden’s campaign has been critical of Trump.
“He does not care about Wisconsin, he does not care about Wisconsinites, and look no further than the agenda he is running on,” said Kevin Munoz, a senior spokesperson for the Biden/Harris Campaign.
As election season continues to heat up, Podair expects more visits from both candidates ahead of the general election.
“This is a state that, I mean, they both need it badly. Biden may need it even more, so if he finds that Trump is coming here, he may basically start playing one-ups-man with him.”
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