Trump visits Kenosha, gets up-close look at riot damage
Florida Rep. Greg Steube, Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, joins 'Fox & Friends First.'
Wisconsin donors have backed President Trump more than former Vice President Joe Biden as both presidential candidates make visits to the critical battleground state this week.
Trump raised $3.3 million from Wisconsin residents during the 2020 election cycle through July, whereas Biden netted $2.2 million in donations, according to the Center for Responsive Politics' analysis of federal fundraising records.
TRUMP VISITS SITE OF RIOTS IN KENOSHA, PROMISES TO HELP BUSINESSES REBUILD
Donors from Kenosha, the site of racial unrest and violence, overwhelmingly backed Trump more than Biden, records show. Trump raised $81,287 for his reelection campaign from the Lake Michigan community, whereas Biden brought in just $39,401, according to the data.
Wisconsin is an important state for Trump's reelection chances. Democratic presidential candidates have won here since President Ronald Reagan in 1984, but Trump broke the streak in 2016 by narrowly beating Democrat Hillary Clinton by less than 23,000 votes (under 1 percentage point) and also barely edging her out in Kenosha County.
Trump traveled to Kenosha Tuesday to praise law enforcement and help businesses damaged by protests that turned destructive in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake. Trump's comments were focused on law and order, rather than addressing Blake's shooting or the racial unrest that has gripped the country all summer.
"Kenosha been ravaged by anti-police and anti-American riots," Trump said Tuesday at a roundtable with law enforcement and business owners.
"These are not acts of peaceful protests, but domestic terror," he said.
BIDEN CAMPAIGN HAULS IN RECORD $364M IN AUGUST
Biden will travel to Kenosha on Thursday – his first trip to Wisconsin during the campaign. He's sought to both condemn violence and soothe racial tensions after the shooting of Blake, a Black man, and two protesters who were fatally shot by a 17-year-old in the aftermath in Kenosha. He blamed Trump for making the unrest worse with his rhetoric.
“This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can’t stop the violence – because for years he has fomented it," Biden said Monday. " ... Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames.”
Trump had a big head start on fundraising when he kicked off his reelection campaign immediately after winning the White House and has been collecting donations since 2017. Biden got into the race in April 2019. While he struggled to bring in money during the start of the Democratic primary, his donations have picked up steam since securing the nomination.
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His campaign announced Wednesday that he raised $364.5 million nationally just in the month of August. The fundraising – split among the Biden campaign, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and their shared committees – shattered the previous monthly record by a presidential campaign, which was set by then-Democratic nominee Barack Obama in September 2008 when he brought in $193 million. Trump has yet to announce his August haul.
Along with polls, fundraising is another crucial campaign metric. The fundraising dollars can be used by candidates to hire more staffers, increase grassroots voter outreach efforts, and produce and run TV, digital, radio, print ads and direct mail.
Wisconsin donors gave more to Democrats in the 2018 midterms, which was a good year for Democrats. They won the governorship and reelected Tammy Baldwin to the U.S. Senate.
Fox News Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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