http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/foxconn-groundbreak-s437.jpgIn 2018, Trump promised with a golden shovel in hand the “8th wonder of the world” and 13,000 manufacturing jobs at Foxconn in Racine County. $500 million in wasted taxpayer dollars later, Racine and Wisconsin won’t forget his broken promises.

RACINE, WI - On Tuesday, as Donald Trump returned to the scene of his failed Foxconn project in Racine, local leaders held a press conference to make it clear they won’t forget his broken promises to their community and Wisconsin.

Trump didn’t mention Foxconn once during his rally, maybe because he didn’t want to remind voters that in 2018, he promised with a golden shovel in hand the “8th wonder of the world” and 13,000 manufacturing jobs at Foxconn in Racine County – but that manufacturing boom never came. Trump’s allies gave massive handouts to a foreign-owned company, 100 homeowners and farmers were forced to move so their properties could be bulldozed and over $500 million in taxpayer dollars were invested to prepare for Foxconn.

Meanwhile, President Biden is delivering where Donald Trump failed. Last month, at the very same site where Trump made his false promise to southeastern Wisconsinites, President Biden joined Microsoft to announce a $3.3 billion investment to build a new data center. The data center will create 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs over time.

See the coverage below:

On the Airwaves:

Spectrum News (Milwaukee, WI):

Kelly Gallaher: “I witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the Foxconn failure. People were forced out of their homes and the land was left barren. Today marks Trump's first return to visit since that failed project announcement and it shows.”

WDJT (CBS – Milwaukee, WI): Gilbert Gonzalez: “Many of my friends and family members lost their jobs on the construction site. Foxconn was not just a letdown, it was a failure that left us empty handed and betrayed.”

WISN (ABC – Milwaukee, WI): “At the time, [Donald Trump] predicted the Foxconn campus would be, quote, ‘the eighth wonder of the world.’ That promise, though, fell short and the project was scaled back significantly.”

WFRV (CBS – Green Bay, WI): Kelly Gallaher: “Last week Trump claimed

‘Milwaukee, where we're having our convention, is a horrible city.’ My guess is that he feels that way about southeastern Wisconsin as well and perhaps all of Wisconsin. And to him we say, stay away.”

WGBA (NBC – Green Bay, WI): “Democrats responded to President Trump's visit and slammed his promises, with the Biden-Harris campaign saying Racine is in part, quote, ‘the site of his failed Foxconn project, which will serve as the best possible example of how Donald Trump has prioritized lining the pockets of his special interest donors and rich friends at the expense of Wisconsin workers and families.’”

Online:

Reuters: Trump decries state of economy in Wisconsin city where his promise of jobs fell short

[Gram Slattery, 6/19/24]

[...]

But while Foxconn originally had forecast 13,000 new jobs at the factory, the company now expects to create only about 1,500 positions. Vacant fields west of downtown Racine, threaded by empty roadways, serve as a local symbol of unmet promises.

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"We aren't surprised he doesn't want to talk about his fake Foxconn ploy or the fact Wisconsin lost tens of thousands of jobs under his failed presidency," said Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa.

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'I love Milwaukee': Takeaways from Donald Trump's Wisconsin campaign rally

[Molly Beck, Rachel Hale and Hope Karnopp, 6/18/24]

[...]

Ahead of Trump’s rally, allies of 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.

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“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 news conference at the local Democratic Party headquarters.

WPR: In Racine, Trump attacks Biden immigration plan, disputes ‘horrible city’ comment

[Evan Casey, 6/18/24]

[...]

During a press conference Tuesday morning before the visit, Democrats said Trump favors corporations over people.

“(Trump) does not care about the people of Racine County or Wisconsin,” said Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine.

“Racine is going to be critically important in this election. We know that turnout in this community is essential. Racine county is always a battleground,” she added.

[...]

The Hill: Biden campaign hits Trump over failed Foxconn project ahead of Wisconsin visit

[Alex Gangitano, 6/18/24]

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“He failed. The jobs never came,” the Biden campaign said in its email Tuesday. “This isn’t the only time Donald Trump screwed over workers when he was president — his economic agenda shuttered factories and incentivized companies to ship American jobs overseas all while handing out tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy and big companies.”

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The Journal Times: Trump visits Racine [...]

[Ryan Peterson and Holly Gilvary, 6/19/24]

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Gonzalez said his family and friends struggled to find work during Trump’s presidency and were hit especially hard after the Foxconn project did not go as planned.

Neubauer said that under Biden’s administration, unemployment rates dropped in the county and the state, and she highlighted the number of jobs anticipated with the construction of the Microsoft Data Center, which is expected to create 2,300 union construction jobs by 2025, according to the company.

“Trump may look down on Milwaukee and abandon Racine, but together, we will show him that Wisconsin deserves better,” Neubauer said.

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WisPolitics: Trump denies calling Milwaukee ‘horrible city,’ [...]

[Staff, 6/18/24]

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Gilbert Gonzalez, who said he has worked in the construction industry for 30 years, said contractors were “bitterly disappointed” when the original plans for Foxconn fell through.

“Many of my friends and family lost their jobs on the construction site. Foxconn was not just a letdown, it was a failure that left us empty-handed and betrayed.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, of Racine, said voters’ choice is between “empty promises” with Trump and “genuine progress” under Biden. She said Foxconn has had “a profound impact on our community.”

“People lost their homes and the promised jobs were nowhere to be found. But it is clear that President Biden delivers where Trump failed,” Neubauer said, crediting Biden for Microsoft’s investment.

Wisconsin Examiner: Trump in Racine [...]

[Erik Gunn, 6/19/24]

[...]

It was also Trump’s first visit to Racine County since 2018, when he joined then-Gov. Scott Walker at a groundbreaking for the Foxconn development that Trump promised would be the “eighth wonder of the world.” Despite a deal giving the company $700 million in local taxpayer funds and a prospective $3 billion in tax credits, Foxconn never achieved its promise to  employ 13,000 people. Trump made no mention of Foxconn Tuesday.

[...]

Rep. Greta Neubauer (D-Racine), said that Microsoft’s investment in the Foxconn site, putting a $3.3 billion data center on some of the land originally developed as part of the Foxconn project, “would not have happened without Joe Biden and his work on the CHIPS Act” — a 2022 bill to boost domestic manufacturing of semiconductors and other high tech components.

The Biden administration has also directed federal support for community health, electric buses and violence prevention to the community, Neubauer said.

“Racine is a working class and middle class community, and we need President Joe Biden who will look out for us rather than Donald Trump, who is only running for president to enrich himself and his friends and the wealthiest people in this country,” she said.  “I’ve been out knocking on doors and talking to people in Racine County and I think that they understand that President Biden is fighting for them.”

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