Donald Trump’s Green Bay Rally Takeaways

GREEN BAY, Wis. (April 2, 2024) – Former President Donald Trump discussed border issues, tax cuts, an executive order, his plan for squatters and a death penalty sentence for those who kill a police officer at his first appearance in Wisconsin in the last two years in downtown Green Bay on Tuesday.

Trump has had opinions on the death penalty that have resulted in polarizing reactions from citizens, but at the Green Bay rally, he mentioned that he wanted a mandatory death penalty for people who kill officers of the law, in response to the murder of a NYPD detective.

Trump stated he would sign an executive order to give “anybody killing a police officer the death penalty.”

Trump also went on to talk about the issues at the border, promoting himself as the solution. He stated that he had built 571 miles or more of the border wall during his presidency, and the main goal he is focused on with the border is promoting more people to come in legally.

“The border is 100 times worse than it was in 2016,” said Trump.

He also brought up how President Joe Biden had been handling the border during his presidency. He mentioned how there is a new “category” of crime called migrant crime, and that it was brought to use by the “worst president in the history of our country: Joe Biden,” said Trump.

“During his time in office, Donald Trump focused on giving tax breaks to big corporations and millionaires, while President Biden and Vice President Harris are creating jobs and growing our economy from the middle out and bottom up,” according to a press release from Biden that released four days before the Green Bay rally.

Trump also expressed concern towards the security of the United States’ border compared to other countries, stating the county has the “worst border in the history of anywhere in the world.”

Towards the end of the rally, Trump mentioned that on his first day in office, he would be placing an executive order to cut funding for schools pushing critical race theory, “transgender insanity,” or “inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.”

During his speech, Trump also addressed the public’s concerns about him hosting a rally on the primary election night. He mentioned he would try to get done quickly to give anyone attending the opportunity to vote if they had not already.

Trump went as far as to say, “do I have your word that you will go out and vote?”

Attendees showed up hours before the doors were set to open, standing in the freezing rain and snow. Many people dressed in Make America Great Again (MAGA) merchandise that was being sold within the line. The line stretched across the Main Street bridge in downtown Green Bay.

Some people attended in full costumes, with one man dressed as Uncle Sam and another in a suit with a brick pattern to represent the border wall.

He also spent some time talking about the 2020 election, and he continued to make claims that the election in Wisconsin was rigged. He used that to tie into some of his goals if he is reelected, such as restoring free speech and securing the country’s elections.

AUDIO CLIP?

This topic created an uproar within the crowd. After Trump mentioned wanting to win by a landslide to avoid any chance of the election being rigged this year, the crowd started chanting “too big to rig.”

“All I’m saying is Donald Trump had a huge lead when I went to bed, and he had lost when I woke up,” said Jamie Cornwell, an attendee of the rally.

Cornwell added that the policies he is focused on are involving the economy and the border wall. He talked about how his daughter is struggling to buy her first house because of the interest rates. Regarding the border issue, he mentioned that he doesn’t mind people coming to America from other countries, he just wants them to come across the border properly.

Trump also used his time to express how he feels about Biden as a whole, as well as some individual policies he has issues with.

“Joe Biden is not respected and Joe Biden is not feared,” said Trump. “They don’t care about him.”

Outside the main doors to get into the convention center, a man was wearing a Trump mask, dancing in the snow to Stayin’ Alive by Bee Gees, which he was playing off of his phone.

The rally was at capacity and some of the people who didn’t get in stood outside the building in the snow for the entirety of the rally.

Former state Sen. Roger Roth, who is currently running for the 8th Congressional District seat, also made an appearance. He walked down the line of people about 30 minutes before the doors were set to open shaking hands with the crowd and answering questions.

When asked by someone in the line about his thoughts on the 2020 election Roth said, “I don’t think it was fair at all.”

People driving past the line had polarizing opinions on the rally. Some rolled their windows down to play the national anthem or wave a miniature American flag while others made vulgar hand gestures or shouted negative remarks about Trump.

Trump also deemed election day to be Christian Visibility day in response to Biden announcing a Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter.