Recap: Donald Trump speaks for nearly two hours at rally in Juneau, Wisconsin
With less than a month until Election Day, former President Donald Trump returned to Wisconsin Sunday for a rally in Juneau, his fourth event in the swing state in just nine days.
Both campaigns have been blanketing Wisconsin, with Vice President Kamala Harris visiting Ripon and receiving endorsements from Republicans, including former Rep. Liz Cheney. Last week, Trump campaigned in Dane County and Milwaukee, both large Democratic strongholds.
Trump spoke for nearly two hours at the Dodge County Airport, where he stood on stage inside an airport hangar with the crowd extending outside.
Here's a recap of the day:
Trump campaign estimates crowd of 17,000.
A Trump campaign official estimated the size of the crowd at the Dodge County Airport at 17,000.
During the rally, Trump repeated a false claim that 60,000 people tried to show up for his Sept. 28 event in Prairie du Chien. "I think we're getting close to that here," he proclaimed Sunday.
Trump ends speech after about two hours, some left early
Trump's speech lasted about two hours, wrapping up at 3:59 p.m. Some people appeared to be leaving more than 90 minutes after Trump began speaking. Those who remained, especially closer to the stage, were still engaged in his speech.
Democrats say holding rally at same time as Packers game is 'out of touch'
Trump has been speaking for over an hour and a half, and the 3:25 p.m. Green Bay Packers game has started.
“Donald Trump is once again showing how out of touch he is with Wisconsin. Holding a rally that overlaps with a Green Bay Packers game? Right now, thousands of Wisconsinites are doing exactly what they should: changing the channel from Trump’s extreme ramblings about Project 2025 and cheering on our Packers instead," Democratic Party of Wisconsin communications director Joe Oslund said in a statement.
Trump's speech ended just as the first quarter of the Packers game came to a close.
Sheriff touts 'zero drop boxes' in Dodge County
Trump also brought onstage a group of Wisconsin sheriffs, where he announced their endorsement of him. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said, "we're going to have the best, most secure election in Dodge County history."
"I have something very important I think you're going to want to hear. In Dodge County, in this 2024 election, there are zero drop boxes for the election," Schmidt said.
The state Supreme Court recently reinstated the use of drop boxes in Wisconsin. Out of Wisconsin's 72 counties, at least 66 had drop boxes as of spring 2021. While Republicans have heavily scrutinized the use of drop boxes, they were used widely in Wisconsin, including in conservative areas.
The Republican mayor of Wausau gained national attention last month for removing the city's drop box. The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is the lead investigator into the matter.
Hovde, Johnson and Steil brought on stage as speech runs over an hour
Trump has been speaking for over an hour and 15 minutes. He brought Senate candidate Eric Hovde, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil up on stage, joking "we have plenty of time. It's a Sunday, right?"
Johnson thanked Trump for his "new alliance" with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
"You are right about the enemy within. They are dividing us on purpose. They are destroying this nation. And by aligning with Bobby Kennedy, you are setting the example. The two of you set the differences aside," Johnson said.
Steil said that Republicans "want to make sure people are following the laws" in the election, including photo ID and only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote. Republicans placed a question on the November ballot in Wisconsin that would change language in the state constitution from "every" citizen to "only" citizens can vote.
Republicans who support the measure want to prevent policies allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections from coming to Wisconsin in the future. Democrats are concerned the question implies that noncitizens are fraudulently voting in Wisconsin, which is extremely rare.
More: What to know about noncitizen voting and the November referendum question in Wisconsin
Trump calls Democratic Gov. Tony Evers a 'lousy governor'
Trump doesn't often take aim at Wisconsin's Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, but he briefly did so on Sunday. Evers has not yet announced whether he will run for reelection in 2026, though he has hinted at a third term.
"I do hear just one thing about him, he doesn't work hard. That's the only thing I hear about him," Trump said. "He's a lousy governor. I guess they'll work on that next cycle."
In the Marquette University Law School poll released last week, Evers' job approval was at 48% and disapproval was at 46%. That was the first time since November 2023 that his approval rating dipped below 50%.
Trump encourages sending in absentee ballots, early voting
With less than a month until Election Day, Trump encouraged people to return their mail-in absentee ballots "as soon as you can" or use in-person absentee voting opportunities, also known as early voting, beginning Oct. 22 in Wisconsin.
As of Oct. 4, about 467,000 absentee ballots have been sent out to voters, according to data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and around 131,000 have been returned.
Trump and state party officials had sent mixed messages on early voting earlier this year, with Trump calling for "one-day voting with paper ballots" and other Republicans encouraging supporters to vote early so resources can be focused on those who haven't voted yet.
More: Eric Hovde says early voting starts before his one debate with Tammy Baldwin. Is he right?
Trump claims federal government 'is doing nothing' in hurricane response
Trump spent part of the beginning of his speech criticizing the administration's response to Hurricane Helene. The death toll from the destructive hurricane has risen to more than 200.
"Kamala Harris has left them stranded. This is the worst response to a storm or a catastrophe or a hurricane that we've ever seen," Trump said in part. "The federal government, the White House is doing nothing. They've abandoned us. And, you know, it's a largely Republican area, so some people say they did it for that reason."
FEMA has a webpage debunking misinformation surrounding the hurricane response, confirming that FEMA has enough money for immediate response and recovery needs, and no funding has been diverted for international efforts or border-related issues.
Federal assistance for survivors has surpassed $137 million, FEMA said Sunday. Nearly 7,000 federal workers are deployed, including FEMA staff.
Donald Trump takes the stage only a few minutes late
Trump took the stage at 2:03 p.m., only a few minutes later than his scheduled 2 p.m. start time. Immediately before he walked onstage, the crowd sang and danced along to "YMCA," a standard song at his rallies.
"A very, very big hello to Wisconsin," Trump began. "They say that Wisconsin is probably the toughest of the swing states to win. I don't think so at all, we have got the biggest crowds."
Senate candidate Eric Hovde says Democrats are spinning on democracy talk
Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, spent most of his time onstage attacking Harris over the economy and international security.
"Let's listen to their whole spin on defending democracy," Hovde said, after critiquing the administration's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and relations with Israel and China.
"I don't ever recall President Trump trying to censor Americans, but the left sure the heck wants all Americans to be quiet," he said, arguing Democrats have "weaponized" the court system.
Hovde said Democrats are "attacking" and "eroding" democracy, citing "America First" candidate Thomas Leager, who was encouraged to run by a group supported by Democratic donors that has been recruiting candidates in key races that could swipe votes from legitimate Republican candidates.
U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald welcomes attendees to Juneau
Among the speakers who took the stage before Trump was U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, whose hometown is Juneau. Fitzgerald is running for reelection in Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District and faces Democratic challenger Ben Steinhoff.
"I've been to Madison. I've been to liberal Madison, and they're going to show up. We need to do the same thing, because we are the firewall ... to keep this country independent and free. Don't believe this democracy talk," Fitzgerald said.
Speakers are behind bulletproof glass, now standard at outdoor rallies
While Trump has not yet taken the stage, speakers in the pre-programming are standing behind barriers of bulletproof glass, which is now a standard U.S. Secret Service practice at outdoor rallies following his near-assassination.
The Sunday rally is being held partly in a hangar at the airport, which includes the stage area. But attendees are also located outside of the covered airport hangar.
Attendees slam former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney as RINO, don't plan to leave early to catch Packers game
Supporters headed toward the entrance to Trump’s rally Sunday morning said they were there to show their support for him and expressed a sense of camaraderie with others in attendance.
One person they did not hold in high esteem: former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney.
“She’s a RINO,” said Jim Elst, 61, of Oconomowoc, using the acronym for Republican In Name Only.
He was among those who used that description for the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney. She appeared on Thursday with Harris in Ripon. The community is known as the birthplace of the GOP.
Supporters ranged in age and hailed from different hometowns but listed similar concerns that were fueling their plans to vote for Trump: the southern U.S. border and the economy.
Sydney Roedl, 17, of Watertown, was looking forward to voting for Trump after she turns 18 just days before the election. She said the border and abortion were her top issues and that she had watched every night of the Republican National Convention that took place in Milwaukee in July.
Supporters also expressed a desire to show Trump they were backing him.
Louie LaPorte, 36, of Watertown said she had not been all that interested in politics until Trump was shot in an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania in July. On Saturday, Trump returned to the same rally site.
LaPorte said Trump has “literally taken a bullet for us.”
She said she had skipped church to come to the rally. There wasn’t anything specific she was hoping to hear from him.
“I am just here really to support him,” she said, again mentioning the attempted assassination.
Those who spoke with the Journal Sentinel didn’t plan to leave even if the rally continued past the beginning of the afternoon Green Bay Packers game, which starts at 3:25 p.m.
Harris campaign announces Gwen Walz returning to Wisconsin
Hours before Trump was set to speak in Juneau, the Harris campaign announced Gwen Walz will return to Wisconsin Wednesday to campaign in Beloit and Madison. Walz is Minnesota's first lady and the wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.
More: Gwen Walz will campaign in Beloit, Madison on Wednesday, continuing a string of visits
President Joe Biden also plans to visit Milwaukee Tuesday to highlight lead pipe replacement, though his trip is in an official capacity, rather than for the Harris campaign.
Republicans criticize Trump ahead of his visit
In a call with reporters hosted by the Harris campaign, Republican surrogates criticized Trump's visit and explained why they're backing Harris. Those included Mark Becker, the former chair of the Republican Party of Brown County, and former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh from Illinois.
"If you had asked me five, six years ago if I would ever be campaigning for a Democrat, I would have said, 'You're nuts,'" Becker said. "Donald Trump has pushed me and so many others away from the party that I once believed in."
Walsh said Trump has "reshaped the GOP into something extreme and dangerous," citing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
"Vice President Harris will be a uniter. She has deep respect for our democratic institutions," Walsh said. "Put an end to Trumpism and reject the politics of division."
Long lines of cars form hours ahead of start time
A line of cars waited to get into the Dodge County Airport hours before Trump was scheduled to take the stage.
On the airport grounds, attendees were greeted by a larger-than-life Trump inflatable with which some were taking photos. A crowd was already in line to enter the event, and the runways were alive with people in Trump shirts and hats.
There were also groups of heavily armed law enforcement.
When and where will Trump speak in Wisconsin today?
Trump will hold his rally at the Dodge County Airport, located in Juneau. Trump is expected to speak at 2 p.m.
In his most recent appearances in Wisconsin, Trump has typically not been over 30 minutes late to take the stage. His speeches often last around an hour and a half. Attendees may be keeping close tabs on the time: The Green Bay Packers face the Los Angeles Rams at 3:25 p.m. at SoFi Stadium in California.
Did Dodge County vote for Trump in 2020?
Unlike his appearances last week in deeply blue Dane and Milwaukee counties, Trump's Sunday rally takes him to a county he won comfortably in 2020. Dodge County voted nearly 65% for Trump over President Joe Biden.
What do the latest Trump-Harris polls show in Wisconsin?
The latest Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday showed Harris with a four-point lead over Trump among registered voters in Wisconsin, within the margin of error. The poll before that, released in mid-September, showed Harris with the same lead.
"Remember — not that I really want to remind you — but we were off by four points last time in 2020. We were off by over six in 2016," poll director Charles Franklin said last week. "So fair warning, these results could change. We could be wrong, on the other hand, we could be right."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Recap: Donald Trump rallied for two hours in Juneau, Wisconsin