AG Kaul, MKE Exec Crowley, Assembly Candidate Emily Siegrist Call Out Trump Ahead of Visit

(WISCONSIN) — Ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to Wisconsin, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and Assembly Candidate Emily Siegrist held a video press conference to call out Trump for his failed response to the coronavirus pandemic and his continued attacks on the Affordable Care Act, including during the debate on Thursday night. After four years of disastrous economic policy, constant attacks on health care coverage for Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions, and a failed response to the pandemic that is currently ravaging Wisconsin, voters are turning out in record numbers to vote out Trump and to send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House.

Watch the full event here or see excerpts of what the speakers said below:

Josh Kaul: “It’s a week and half before election day, and we are more than six months into this pandemic, and I challenge anybody to answer this simple question: what is Donald Trump’s plan to fight the pandemic?… The answers to those questions are simple, they don’t have a plan. Families across our state and across the country have had to make plans in response to this pandemic… but our elected officials in the Republican legislature, and the president have not done the same thing. They have not stepped up, and they have not come up with a plan… Joe Biden has a plan, Donald Trump does not, for the biggest challenge we are facing right now. In fact, Donald Trump is trying to compound that problem by fighting to end the Affordable Care Act. One week after election day, Donald Trump’s Justice Department, along with a lot of Republican AGs, will be arguing in court that the Affordable Care Act needs to be ended. If that happens, more than 20 million Americans would lose access to affordable health insurance coverage. People with a pre-existing condition, and that now includes people who had COVID-19, would be able to be discriminated against by health insurance companies once again… Having the Affordable Care Act struck down would be devastating at any time, but it would be especially devastating in the midst of a pandemic… It’s critical that we have a president who is going to work to build on the ACA and strengthen it and add a public option, and not a president who is going to continue to attack access to affordable health insurance coverage… For the future of the health and safety of our communities, for the future of our health insurance coverage, for the future of people with a pre-existing condition, I encourage everybody to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this election.”

David Crowley: “Donald Trump continues to fuel hateful rhetoric, and his overall mismanagement of this pandemic has really put Black and Brown Wisconsinites at a disproportionate disadvantage, and we have been extremely devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Wisconsinites have seen that we are seven times more likely to die than white Wisconsinites… Black and Brown Wisconsinites are on the frontline every day, working to make sure that they are putting Milwaukee County first and themselves second. Whether we’re talking about folks who are staffing restaurants, serving in hospitals, and working in public spaces, and all of them are working without the proper PPE equipment… It is painfully obvious that Donald Trump is not a president for all of America, and he is definitely not a president for Black America. Milwaukee is one of the most segregated places in this country and we must start from the top of our country’s leadership to make real change as we continue to talk about racial equity. That is why it’s so important to elect Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris to the White House. Joe Biden will be that president for all of us, for all Americans. He understands how systemic racism has curbed the success of Black and brown Americans for too long… Not only does Joe Biden have a strategy to provide a data-based and scientific approach to get us through this pandemic, but he also has a plan to build us back better, to help small business owners, support minority entrepreneurs, and expand access to low-interest loans. We need every single resident of Milwaukee County who believes in an equitable and fair future for Black and brown Americans, to turn out to vote for Joe Biden… We need to turn out in record numbers and send a message that the people of Milwaukee County are united in this fight for a more just country.”

Emily Siegrist: “I’m a single mom with two kids, and trying to navigate through this pandemic has been challenging to say the least… For all the parents out there who are just trying to make it work and trying to work full time, and trying to teach your children, it’s been a battle, and it’s mentally a battle as well… As a health care provider, it’s exhausting. I have heard from many friends where the hospital has increased substantially with COVID cases, and it’s trying on our system. We know that we’ve lost 20% of our small businesses here in Wisconsin alone, and our state legislature has not met in over six months… [Joe Biden] is ready to sit down and figure out what we need to do nationally to help our country get through this, and he is willing to work with the states to figure out what’s the best way to manage this. That’s why November 3rd is so vitally important. We know that already 1.5 million Wisconsinites have either casted a ballot or voted in person early… We need to get rid of President Trump. He has not helped us in any respect. We have given him four years to do something for us, and he’s shown over and over again that he cannot lead this country the way we need a leader.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.