Latest testing claim just the last in a series of dismal acts that have hurt Wisconsin.

WISCONSIN - As Trump heads to Wisconsin on Thursday for a political photo op, he’ll be forced to defend his confession that he slowed testing in order to artificially improve perception of his coronavirus response as the economic and public health crises facing the state continue to devastate Wisconsin families. 

Trump admitted he slowed down testing in order to improve the perception of his failed coronavirus response. His inaction has lead to infected thousands of Wisconsinites and left families struggling to get by.

Trump: “When you do testing to that extent, you’re gonna find more people you’re gonna find more cases. So I said to my people slow the testing down, please”  

WBAY: “The state has now confirmed 24,539 coronavirus patients and 744 COVID-19 deaths since testing began earlier this year.” 

Wisconsin State Journal: “Unemployment claims in Wisconsin surged to unprecedented numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying shut down. DWD reported last month that the state had lost 385,900 private-sector jobs from March to April, and the unemployment rate had climbed to the highest level since the Great Depression. The average number of weekly claims skyrocketed from 45,000 a week to 300,000 last month.” 

The reality is even worse for the Black and brown communities, which have been devastated both by the virus and the failure of the Trump administration to provide meaningful economic assistance Black-owned businesses.

Wisconsin State Journal: “African Americans, who make up less than 7% of Wisconsin’s population, have had 18% of confirmed COVID-19 cases and 24% of deaths. Latinos, who also account for just under 7% of state residents, have had 33% of cases and 11% of deaths.”

Los Angeles Times: “In that same time frame, 38% of Black-owned small businesses did not receive any of the financing they applied for, compared with 33% of Latino-owned businesses, 24% of Asian-owned businesses and 20% of white-owned businesses, the report said.

In the midst of a pandemic that Trump and Pence let spiral out of control, they are trying to rip health care away from millions of Wisconsinites as they try to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Wisconsin State Journal: “Another key campaign topic for Trump in 2016 was his criticism of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010. However, despite his attempts to eliminate what is colloquially known as Obamacare, Trump’s efforts to invalidate the health care reform act have stalled, with the matter now before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Trump administration has not unveiled a formal replacement...For now, Trump’s pledge to do away with the ACA has been unfulfilled…”

Vanity Fair: “On top of the 11.4 million Americans who already had ACA insurance in 2020 and 12.5 million enrolled in Medicaid expansion, the Economic Policy Institute estimated April 30 that approximately 12.7 million workers have so far lost their employer-based health insurance since the beginning of the pandemic alone. And those numbers could just be the tip of the iceberg, with the Urban Institute projecting that 25 million workers or more could ultimately lose their employer insurance due to unemployment caused by the COVID-19 crisis.” 

After Trump’s erratic trade policies with China decimated Wisconsin farmers and manufacturing sectors, he begged the Chinese to make a bad trade deal to shore up his reelection chances, selling out working Wisconsin families along the way.

New York Times: “Soybean, dairy and pig farmers saw their businesses dry up as the world’s most populous nation aimed for Mr. Trump’s weak spot, putting tariffs on more than $70 billion of American products in retaliation for his decision to tax billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese goods.” 

Wisconsin Examiner: “Coxhead said trade policies under President Donald Trump (whom he didn’t mention by name) contributed significantly to the plight of Wisconsin farmers in the last few years. The federal government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic has further endangered the country’s — and Wisconsin’s — position in the world economy, he added.” 

CNBC: “From January to September, the states bordering the Great Lakes have lost more than 25,000 manufacturing jobs: Pennsylvania lost 8,100; Ohio lost 6,000; Michigan lost 6,500; and Wisconsin lost 4,700.” 

Now, as factories continue to close, Trump and Pence have to defend an economic record that has abandoned workers.

Wisconsin Rapids Tribune: “Verso plans to idle the Duluth mill by the end of June and the Wisconsin Rapids mill by the end of July, according to the company. As a result, the company will lay off about 1,000 employees between the two mills, including the majority of the roughly 915 employees who work in Wisconsin Rapids.” 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “BRP, the Canadian manufacturer of Evinrude outboard engines, says it’s eliminating 387 jobs at its factory in Sturtevant as the company steps away from the Evinrude brand founded in Milwaukee more than a century ago...In a notice filed with Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development, the company said it would eliminate 387 jobs in Sturtevant, including employees currently on furlough. Some workers could be recalled but will lose their jobs permanently over the next four months, according to the company.”