, , , , , , ,

Trump’s Milwaukee Town Hall Draws Supporters, Protestors

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, Trump Discuss City's Recent Unrest In Private Meeting

Donald Trump
Gerald Herbert/AP Photo

A town hall taped with Fox News host Sean Hannity drew a mix of Donald Trump supporters and politically curious to Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater early Tuesday evening before the Republican presidential nominee headed to an event in West Bend.

Outside the theater, men and women protested Trump’s candidacy, appearance and policies. Some people held signs that read, “Have you no decency, sir?” and “Build bridges, not walls.”

Gary Pinter of Sussex said he’s a conservative Republican who will vote for Trump in November because he “hates him the least.” But Pinter wants more specifics on Trump’s policies.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“I guess I want to hear more what he’s actually going to do and how he’s going to do it rather than just saying, ‘Well, this is what I’m going to do,’ and ‘I’m going to do it.’ No, I want to hear specifics,” Pinter said.

Nicholas Hollenbeck showed more enthusiasm than Pinter, wearing a Trump T-shirt and heading into the event with his dad.

“I really love his border control and immigration policy,” Hollenbeck said. “His idea to get rid of all of the illegal immigrant is gonna help people a lot, and I’m just 100 percent for that.”

Tom Lawton was among the ticket holders trickling into the theater who said they’re eager to see the federal government shrink. Trump could improve the climate for businesses and job creation, Lawton said.

“He could potentially make some changes that could be very meaningful,” Lawton said. “Cut down regulation, businesses are choking to death on regulation. And he wants to lower taxes, which I think would help America prosper.”

Mary Ann Galarza identifies herself as a Latina Trump supporter and an Independent.

“I think he’s looking for independence, rather than dependence, which is what I think the Democrats do,” Galarza said. “I think he’s talking to a lot of us that feel that the government has too much control.”

Trump was mostly among friends at the town hall, but a recent Marquette University Law School Poll showed the candidate is lagging behind Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and is struggling in the Wisconsin’s Republican strongholds.

While in Milwaukee, Trump also talked with the media, held a private fundraiser and met with Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke to discuss the unrest the city has seen following the fatal shooting of Sylville Smith on Saturday. Smith, an armed African-American man, was shot by a African-American police officer.

Clarke addressed the media Tuesday evening after meeting with Trump, saying police need to know their employers and public officials have their back. He said police have reached out to him because he’s close with Trump.

“They all say to me … thank Mr. Trump for me. Please do that,” Clarke said.

In an interview with Wisconsin’s WKBT-TV on Tuesday, Trump said protesters must respect the law and order because without it, “you don’t have a country.”

Trump was asked during the interview about complaints by protesters in Milwaukee over underlying inequalities and lack of education. To that, Trump said, “it’s about a lot of things, including jobs and others, but we still have to have law and order.”

The use of police force in the fatal shooting was not the sole cause of the violent weekend but rather an igniter, Clarke said. Clarke pointed to unemployment and a poor school system as causes of frustration and said people tend to take it out on the police.

Milwaukee, a city long grappling by racial tensions, instituted a curfew for teenagers and closed Sherman Park on Monday to restore calm after Smith’s death.

Trump described the situation in Milwaukee as “a mess,” but added that law and order must be respected.

“We need strong, swift and very fair law and order,” Trump added.

Clarke said what he wants most from Trump is for him to appoint an attorney general who sees police as an ally. When politicians rush to conclusions and indict officers, it can undermine the public’s confidence in police, Clarke added.

Clarke admitted there is room for police to improve, but insisted he believed police did a good job overall in responding to the violent uprising over the weekend.

“Gun shots ringing out, total chaos, looting, arson, all this goes on at one time, alright, but by the second time, the second night we had this stuff going on we could see it dissipate a little more,” Clarke said Tuesday. “Last night was good. I’m not saying we’re out of the woods, but we’re (where) I want to be. Law and order has been restored.”