WEST SALEM — At a rally in Wisconsin Tuesday, President Donald Trump called on Gov. Tony Evers to "open it up" and claimed he "saved Kenosha" by sending in the National Guard.
Trump spoke at a MAGA rally in West Salem, La Crosse County late Tuesday afternoon, exactly one week before Election Day.
The president touched on two hot topics in the state: coronavirus, and protests and unrest in Kenosha following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
"Speaking of lockdowns," Trump said after claiming Joe Biden wants to lock the country down to stem spiraling COVID-19 cases, "let's get your governor to open it up, get him to open it up."
Trump moved on to protests and unrest in Kenosha.
"When the violent mob came to Kenosha - you know Kenosha, everybody knows Kenosha - Biden opposed sending in the National Guard. We sent in the National Guard, and we saved Kenosha. We saved Kenosha. Kenosha wouldn't be standing," Trump said at the La Crosse rally.
Gov. Evers authorizedWisconsin National Guard members to deploy to Kenosha on Aug. 26, to assist local law enforcement. Biden vowed during his own visit to Kenosha that he will never exploit members of the National Guard for political purposes.
The president's rally Tuesday was his third in Wisconsin in the past two weeks. Trump attended a campaign event in Waukesha last Saturday and in Janesville the weekend before that. In early September, Trump visited Kenosha following protests and unrest.
Prominent members of both the Trump and Biden campaigns have been ramping up their visits to the key battleground state ahead of Nov. 3, as some polls suggest the state will be won by slim margins, just like in the 2016 presidential election.
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In response to Trump's rally, Biden for President Wisconsin State Director Danielle Melfi released the following statement:
“As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, there is no end in sight for so many Wisconsinites. Families continue to bear the brunt of this pandemic -- and far too many will never again be whole. The Trump administration has admitted openly that they have given up trying to control this virus, and eight months into this pandemic, President Trump’s failures have yielded devastating results,” said Biden for President Wisconsin State Director Danielle Melfi. “When Wisconsin sends Joe Biden to the White House, we’ll have a President who will listen to the experts, trust the science, and get this virus under control. With so much at stake, Wisconsinites should head to iwillvote.com/WI today and make their plan to vote early.”
President Trump’s trip to Wisconsin comes just one day after Wisconsin crossed 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. While he continues to say that we’re “rounding the corner” of this pandemic, COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are surging in Wisconsin. It took 7 and a half months to reach 100,000 cases in the state -- and just 36 days to cross 200,000."