Recap: Donald Trump holds rally in Racine, his third Wisconsin rally of 2024

RACINE — Former President Donald Trump held a rally Tuesday, his third visit in 2024 to Wisconsin and his first since being convicted by a New York jury on 34 counts in his hush money trial.

Trump's visit also came less than a month before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he will be formally nominated for president. Last week, Trump called Milwaukee a "horrible city," prompting criticism from state Democrats.

Racine is about 30 miles south of Milwaukee. In 2020, Racine County voted 52% for Trump and 47% for President Joe Biden.

Biden also stopped in the Racine area in his last visit to the state, touting Microsoft's planned expansion in the county and offering a contrast to unfulfilled promises of the Foxconn deal championed by Trump and state Republican leaders.

You can follow along with the Journal Sentinel's live blog for updates on Trump's rally. Be sure to refresh your browser for the latest updates:

Heat causes some Trump supporters to leave speech early

After speaking for about 90 minutes, Trump concluded his remarks around 4:50 p.m. Some people stayed later to dance to "YMCA" and take photos.

“Get out and vote everybody, God bless you all,” Trump said at the end of his speech.

Some supporters had left the park earlier in the speech, many sporting sunburns. The feels-like temperature was 82 degrees at the end of the speech. A cool breeze from the harbor offered some relief from the heat during the rally.

—Hope Karnopp

Eric Hovde focuses remarks on economics and border security

Trump-backed Wisconsin Senate candidate Eric Hovde praised Trump’s border control and criticized raising prices under Biden.

“They’re crushing the working class,” Hovde said. “And how about the border? President Trump showed you the numbers… he had the border completely under control.”

Trump during his speech said Hovde was from the area. But Hovde is a businessman from Madison, not Southeast Wisconsin, according to his campaign website.

“We're going to elect Eric Hovde – of this area, by the way – who's a great gentleman. And I've spent a lot of time with him, he and his wife are incredible people," Trump said.

He is running against incumbent Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, who Trump called the “worst senator in the U.S. Senate” and repeatedly bashed in his remarks.

Trump announced his endorsement of Hovde in April during his first Wisconsin visit of the campaign, in Green Bay.

— Rachel Hale

Trump calls Lake Michigan 'beautiful' and prefers lack of sharks

Trump spoke along a harbor of Lake Michigan, which he called "beautiful."

"Much better this, or sitting on the Pacific or the Atlantic, which has sharks," Trump said to laughter from the crowd. "I'll take the one without the sharks."

Milwaukee was just ranked one of the top five beach cities by the New York Times.

—Hope Karnopp

Trump again falsely claims he 'did much better' in 2020 in Wisconsin than 2016

During his speech, Trump repeated a familiar false claim that he performed better in Wisconsin in the 2020 presidential election, compared to the 2016 election.

PolitiFact Wisconsin checked this claim in April, ahead of Trump's first rally in Green Bay. In 2020, Biden took 1,630,866 votes compared to Trump’s 1,610,184 in the state, so Trump lost by 20,682 votes.

Trump did win the state in 2016, taking more than 22,000 votes over Democrat Hillary Clinton. He netted 1,405,284 votes in Wisconsin in 2016.

While Trump picked up more raw votes in 2020, his performance was not better because he ultimately lost by about 20,000 votes.

—Hope Karnopp

Trump begins his speech by declaring love for Milwaukee after snubs

"I love Milwaukee." That's how Trump began his speech in Racine just after news outlets reported the former president was planning to stay in Chicago during the Republican National Convention instead of the host city of Milwaukee and a week after Trump called Wisconsin's largest city "a horrible city."

— Molly Beck

Vivek Ramaswamy gives remarks as prelude to Trump's speech

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy compared Trump to the first president of the United States as a prelude to Trump's speech in Racine.

In his remarks to the rally crowd, Ramaswamy compared the criminal charges Trump faces to turmoil during the founding of the country.

"They made those sacrifices in 1776 and I believe today it's a 1776 moment in 2024 and Donald Trump is the George Washington of our moment. That is what I believe. That is why I'm here today," he said.

Earlier this year, influential conservatives encouraged Trump to pick Ramaswamy as his running mate but other contenders have risen in Trump's eyes in recent weeks.

— Molly Beck

Remarks continue with Tommy Thompson, Rep. Bryan Steil

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson and Rep. Bryan Steil continued remarks before bringing out a local Racine business owner.

“I love Wisconsin, I love you, and I love the direction we're going to go,” Thompson said. “We're taking America back.”

Steil, who represents Racine, asked attendees to give a “big Trump round of applause” for law enforcement in the crowd.

“One of the last times President Trump was in this area he was with me in Kenosha, and we saw firsthand what happened when democratic policies are put forward: Failure to stand with the men and women of law enforcement.”

— Rachel Hale

Rally remarks get started at 1:15 with former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker

Following a prayer, the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem, former Gov. Scott Walker took the stage wearing an American Flag shirt.

He criticized Joe Biden on rising prices, border security and public safety.

Since Joe Biden has been in office gas has gone up by more than a buck a gallon. You look at housing prices 43% increase during Biden's administration. That's real money.

“We can't afford four more years of Joe Biden. We need President Donald Trump to make Wisconsin and America affordable,” Walker said.

He called on supporters to knock on doors, make phone calls, join their local parties to garner support for Trump beyond rallies.

“We win Wisconsin, we win America,” Walker said.

— Molly Beck

Vivek Ramaswamy expected to join Trump at Racine rally

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is expected to join Trump at the Racine rally.

Ramaswamy posted on the social media platform X about Trump's departure from Florida for Wisconsin.

Earlier this year, influential conservatives encouraged Trump to pick Ramaswamy as his running mate but other contenders have risen in Trump's eyes in recent weeks.

— Molly Beck

Video plays twice of Trump encouraging several voting options

Two hours before Trump is scheduled to take the stage, supporters sat in the grass behind rows of chairs and at picnic tables near a concessions table.

A video of Trump played on large TVs for a second time around 1:00 p.m. In the video, Trump said he would "once and for all secure our elections. We are going to go to paper ballots, we're going to have same-day voting, voter ID," Trump said.

Trump then said Republicans must use "every appropriate tool" to beat Democrats. "Whether you vote early, absentee by mail, or in-person, we are going to protect the vote."

Trump and state Republican officials have sent mixed messages on voting early or "banking" their votes at past rallies. In Wisconsin, early voting can take place over multiple days, not on one day like Trump is pushing for.

— Hope Karnopp

Wisconsin GOP Leader Brian Schimming addresses RNC protest zone

Ahead of the RNC, Wisconsin GOP Leader Brian Schimming said he didn’t have new insights on the city’s protest zone.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin earlier this month sued the city in federal court on the basis that the city's plans for demonstrations violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Efforts to resolve the lawsuit on Monday ended without an agreement.

“It's important for us, and it's important, frankly, for the City of Milwaukee and for the region to have a smooth-running convention,” Schimming said. “Nobody benefits by having a mess, except the hardcore left.”

Schimming also addressed the importance of Southeastern Wisconsin in the election.

“We understand how important Southeastern Wisconsin is,” Schimming said. “At one time, Wisconsin was called flyover country. And now we've had all these races just over the last 20 years that have been within 30,000 votes.”

— Rachel Hale

Hundreds still in line ahead of the afternoon

By about 12:10 p.m., hundreds were still in line to enter the rally. Attendees said the line stretched all the way down Fourth Street before looping into the park. Law enforcement officials said there’s been a steady stream of people entering since the gates opened, and they were told to anticipate between 2,500 to 4,500 attendees.

— Rachel Hale

Trump's Racine visit comes a week after Milwaukee 'horrible city' comment

Trump’s visit to Racine comes a week after the former president called Milwaukee “a horrible city” in a closed-door meeting with U.S. House Republicans on Capitol Hill. Members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation who were in the room confirmed the comment to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other news outlets.

Trump initially acknowledged and explained his comment in a Friday interview with Fox News as criticism of the city’s crime and elections. But then he later denied making the comment in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Milwaukee is the host city for the Republican National Convention in July, where Trump will be formally nominated as the GOP presidential candidate.

Asked about Trump's comments about Milwaukee being "horrible," supporters said the media had taken what Trump said out of context, but mostly agreed that Trump was talking about crime, which they also saw as a problem in Milwaukee.

"It's the violence, and that's what he was referring to. Milwaukee is a beautiful city, if you go to the right place," said Kim Toutant from Racine, who was attending her first rally. "Every day, children are being shot in their own homes, sitting on their couch."

Buck Steiniger, a Trump supporter from the Wausau area, thought people in northern Wisconsin aren't very concerned about crime in Milwaukee. "The people up there are like, 'Whatever happens down there, we're safe up here,'" he said.

— Molly Beck and Hope Karnopp

New program under Biden would allow immigrants married to U.S citizens to be protected from deportation

Thousands of immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens but are in the country illegally would be protected from deportation and be allowed to work while they seek permanent legal status under a new government program announced by President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Biden plans to allow undocumented spouses and their children to apply for permanent resident status without leaving the country - but only if they meet certain criteria.

Ahead of his rally in Racine, Trump characterized the plan as a first step “to grant mass amnesty to millions of illegals.”

Trump through a spokesman characterized Biden as refusing to take action “to stop this invasion or remove violent predators from our country.”

To be eligible, immigrants must have resided in the United States for 10 years or more as of June 17, 2024, and be legally married to a U.S. citizen by that date. They cannot have been paroled and cannot pose a threat to public safety and national security. On average, those who are eligible for the program have resided in the United States for 23 years, officials said.

Under current law, many migrants seeking legal status must first depart the United States and wait to be processed abroad, which can take years. The new rule will allow them to stay in the United States and work for up to three years while they seek permanent legal status.

Biden’s decision to implement the new rules comes as he is facing re-election against former President Donald Trump, who has taken a hard line against illegal immigration. Wisconsin-level polling shows voters consider Trump to be more forceful on the issue than Biden.

Biden has faced record numbers of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S. border with Mexico under his watch. Earlier this month, he signed an executive order authorizing the U.S. to turn away migrants who enter the country without legal permission when the number of crossings is high. The conditions for closure will be automatically trigged when more than 2,500 migrants enter the country between legal ports of entry.

Two immigrants’ rights groups sued the administration over the new restrictions last week. The groups are seeking to block the restrictions on the grounds that Biden’s order violates the nation's immigration laws by effectively barring migrants' access to the asylum system.

— Molly Beck and Michael Collins

Some arrived as early as yesterday to stake out spots

Jory Trutt of Dekalb, Illinois has camped out at the park since 7 p.m. last night. He’s attended sixteen Trump rallies across Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Trutt said he waited 17 hours for Trump’s November 2020 rally in Kenosha but preferred today’s warmer temperatures.

“We didn’t have a tent, we just sat right here,” Trutt said. “A few people beat me, but last time I was here I was number two in line.”

Others got in line as early as 5:30 a.m. this morning, while some local attendees said they drove up in the last hour.

Peter Micheals, 17, attends Brookfield East High School. He drove up this morning after obtaining volunteer credentials for the rally yesterday. He’s too young to vote in the election this fall but wanted to get involved early.

“America needs more young voices,” Micheals said. “At the end of the day, we'll be the ones that are paying for what Congress does.

— Rachel Hale

Immigration advocacy group protest near Trump rally

At 11 a.m., Voces de la Frontera, an immigration advocacy group, began their protest against Trump’s Wisconsin visit block away from the rally.

Gathered in Monument Square in downtown Racine, protesters chanted slogans like “sí se puede” and “up, up, with education, down, down with deportation” and lifted anti-Trump and Biden-Harris campaign signs.

“We have to take a public stand. We cannot be silent,” Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz told the crowd. “If you are religious, it is a sin to be silent in front of what Trump stands for and what his movement stands for.”

Drivers passing by honked their horns and shouted out their windows in support of Trump and Biden.

— Tristan Hernandez

Attendees show support through outfits

William Race of Sheboygan wore a shirt that read “Fully vaccinated by the blood of Jesus” with a photo of a lion containing religious motifs.

“Growing up in the Baptist Church, you know, I want our country to get back to our morals and good values,” Race said.

Cousins Daphnie Lattimore and Helen Starrett, of Illinois and Michigan, wore rhinestoned shirts with quilted red, white and blue stars on their backs. They staked out chairs for the rally starting at 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon, taking shifts to reserve their places.

Lattimore said it felt like waiting in line for a rock concert.

“It’s our first rally,” Lattimore said. “It’s exciting and the people are awesome, fellow patriots.”

— Rachel Hale

Crowd begins to file into venue ahead of rally

By about 10:30 a.m., most of the crowd had been let in the gates to the park where Trump is set to take the stage at 3 p.m.The weather was humid but overcast, with some stray sprinkles, and around 72 degrees.

— Hope Karnopp

Biden allies hold press conference in Racine, blast Trump over Foxconn handling

Ahead of Trump’s rally, allies of President Joe Biden held a press conference in Racine to blast Trump over his handling of an unsuccessful economic development project from Taiwanese-based electronics manufacturer Foxconn.

Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and legislative Republicans in 2017 signed into law billions in taxpayer-funded incentives for Foxconn to build a LCD panel factory in Racine County with the promise of 13,000 jobs.

Trump held events at the White House to help move the project along and declared it would be the “eighth wonder of the world” during its groundbreaking in 2018. The project has not materialized.

“Trump's policies did not bring the promised jobs to Wisconsin. In fact, we lost jobs. A second term could be even more disastrous,” Democratic state Rep. Greta Neubauer of Racine said at the press conference at the local Democratic Party headquarters.

Gina Kocjas of Caledonia said she blames the fallout of Foxconn on former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and the state government.

“I don't blame Trump for that,” Kocjas said.

She said Trump’s base in Racine won’t budge because of Foxxconn – or his guilty conviction.

“He has his base and he's getting more and more of a base. These convictions and all that doesn’t matter. Kocjas said.

— Molly Beck and Rachel Hale

Biden supporters protest across the street from Trump rally venue

At 9:30 a.m., hundreds of supporters were lined up along a harbor of Lake Michigan to get into the park where Trump will speak.

Across the street from the sidewalk where attendees stood in line, a group of about ten protestors spoke in support of the Green New Deal and held a banner that read “Protect the Biden Climate Miracle.”

— Hope Karnopp

Crowd starts lining up for Trump rally early Tuesday morning

Although Trump isn't expected to speak until 3 p.m. or later, rallygoers were lining up as early as 6 a.m. in Racine's Festival Park, according to WISN 12.

— Molly Beck

When will Donald Trump speak in Wisconsin on Tuesday?

Trump is scheduled to deliver his remarks at 3 p.m. or later.

Supporters attending the rally will be greeted with hot, muggy weather: temperatures could feel as high as 95, and there's a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms after noon.

Where will Donald Trump rally in Wisconsin Tuesday?

Trump will hold his rally at Racine Festival Park, located at 5 5th St. It's not yet clear whether Trump will be speaking indoors or outside. The venue is located along a harbor of Lake Michigan.

Where has Trump held rallies in Wisconsin this year?

Trump's last rally in Wisconsin was in Waukesha at the beginning of May. His remarks were focused heavily on immigration and the economy. At the time, Trump was in the middle of his hush money trial in Manhattan.

His first rally in Wisconsin of the 2024 cycle was in Green Bay on April 2, the same day as the state's presidential primary election.

What do the latest Wisconsin presidential polls show?

The last Marquette University Law School poll, conducted in April, showed Trump and Biden locked in a tight race. Among both registered and likely voters in Wisconsin, 51% supported Trump and 49% supported Biden.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Recap: Donald Trump rallies in Racine; third Wisconsin rally of 2024