Milwaukee was home to two rallies on Friday night, from former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris, just days before the 2024 presidential election. With Wisconsin being a crucial swing state and the election still in a dead-heat, anticipation and excitement filled Fiserv Forum.
The event opened to a packed stadium with music, a prayer, the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem. The first speakers started around 6 p.m. with Trump arriving around 9 p.m.
Several Republican politicians spoke before Trump arrived, including Eric Hovde, a U.S. Senate candidate for Wisconsin. Robert F. Kennedy also spoke just before Trump and encouraged voters to cast their ballots in support of Trump instead of himself. Both Hovde and Kennedy were well-received by the crowd with many people standing and clapping for their entrance.
Trump stated the importance of getting Wisconsin votes, the state he won in 2016 but lost in 2020.
“We win this state, we win the whole thing,” Trump said.
Trump spoke about the current leadership of Harris and President Biden.
“My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: You can’t lead America if you don’t love America, and you can’t be the president if you hate the American people,” Trump said.
Trump reiterated his plans for the nation if he were to be elected. Among what was discussed, he said that immigration, the economy and a strong American government were the most pressing issues for the Republican party.
Among Trump’s plans regarding immigration, he claimed that he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act (1798), which gives the president the authority to arrest, relocate or deport any non-citizens during wartime.
He spoke on America’s economic state and his plans to enact tariffs on foreign products.
“Make products here in the USA, and hire American workers for the job, and if these companies don’t make their product here in the USA, then they will be forced to pay tariffs,” Trump said.
Trump also made claims that neither Russia‘s invasion into Ukraine nor the conflict in the Middle East would have happened if he was in office.
A recurring theme throughout the night was Trump’s disdain for his microphone. The crowd chanted that they could not hear him, which prompted Trump to say that the microphone not being loud enough was a “pretty stupid” situation.
“I get so angry. I’m up here seething. I’m seething. I’m working my ass off with this stupid mic,” Trump said.
Trump grew more frustrated with the microphone and continued to comment on the failure of the contractor.
“Do you want to see me knock the hell out of people backstage?” Trump said.
The comments drew laughs from the audience, who were decked out in red, white and neon yellow. Many people were wearing neon construction vests, a nod to Trump’s recent stunt in which he was filmed getting into a garbage truck. This was in response to President Biden appearing to call Trump supporters garbage.
Austin Labreche, a 21-year-old from Kenosha, said that he attended the event to be with people who shared similar philosophies to himself.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about Trump rallies; they are pretty much comparable to the World Series or Super Bowl,” Labreche said.
These passionate fans waited outside for hours before the doors opened. While the crowd was waiting outside, chants of “USA” broke out.
Some attendees had already placed their votes for Trump, and were attending to show their support. Many wore hats with Trump’s signature slogan “Make America Great Again” and others had the same slogan displayed on flags.
April Nicole, another attendee, said that she wanted to see Trump in person before he was elected. Nicole said the main reason she was voting for him was her religious beliefs.
“I’m a Christian, so that’s a big deal,” Nicole said.
Thabo, a man from South Africa, said he was a Democrat for five years before switching to follow Trump.
“I’m done with the repetitive speech,” Thabo said.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. To learn more about how to register and vote, visit https://vote.gov/.
This story was written by Ruby Mulvaney, she can be reached at [email protected].
