Wisconsin Leaders Blast Women for Trump Bus Tour for Campaigning During Pandemic

(WISCONSIN) — As the “Women for Trump” Bus Tour irresponsibly rolls through the Badger state, Wisconsin leaders are speaking out about the threat Trump poses to them, both in his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reckless policies he’s pursued during his presidency that have harmed women. Since taking office, Trump has gone after women’s  health care, tried to remove workplace protections, and has failed to come up with a comprehensive plan that will keep families and their children safe.

See Read what  just a few leaders are saying:

State Sen. LaTonya Johnson: “Trump’s disastrous failed COVID-19 response has been particularly devastating for Black and brown women. They disproportionately serve on the frontlines of this pandemic and have been crucial for keeping our friends and neighbors safe as well as keeping essential businesses open. This bus tour is nothing more than a sham and does nothing to help Wisconsinites confront the pandemic. Since the outset of his presidency, Trump has made clear he sees Black and brown and women as expendable, and a wreckless bus tour will do nothing to change that.”

State Rep. Robyn Vining: “Wisconsin women don’t need a visit from the Women for Trump Bus to show us how terrible the president has been when it comes to dealing with each and every issue that affects us personally, our families, and our communities. But here we are, and here they come. Whether it’s resolving this pandemic, navigating the plan for school reopening, fighting for health care, reigniting our economy, combatting violence against women, or protecting our children and families, I know Wisconsin women would much rather be on Team Joe than be anywhere near this terrifying bus. Love wins and so will we.”

State Rep. Greta Neubauer: “This irresponsible and unsafe campaign event can’t distract from the fact that Trump has completely failed Wisconsin’s women. He continues to prioritize his own campaign over the women of our state. Trump’s inability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic has put countless lives at risk, cost many people their jobs and left families wondering how they will make it to the end of the month. We deserve better and the only way we’ll get it is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House.”

More Background:

Trump came to Wisconsin in 2016 and promised “nobody will be better to women”, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. 

Trump: “Nobody will be better to women, and nobody will give greater security to our country for women, and in that case, for everybody. Nobody but Donald Trump.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Appleton WI, 3/30/16]

Trump’s failed COVID-19 response has disproportionately hurt women, especially women of color. 

Pew Research: “More women than men lost their jobs from February to May, 11.5 million vs. 9.0 million.”

National Women’s Law Center: “While the overall unemployment rate dropped to 10.2% in July, almost 1 in 7 Black women (13.5%) and Latinas (14.0%) remained unemployed”

CNN: “Coronavirus infection may make pregnant women more severely ill, CDC says”

Throughout his presidency, Trump has attacked women’s health care, including birth control, and is currently in court trying to strike down the Affordable Care Act and protections for people with pre-existing conditions. 

Vox: “The Affordable Care Act changed everything. It prohibited insurers on the individual market from charging people more based on their gender or their medical history. Women are more likely than men to have a preexisting condition, which can include a history of rape, domestic violence, or even pregnancy. The law required insurers to cover certain services, including maternity care, ensuring women would be able to buy a health plan that actually covered the medical care they needed.”

ABC News: “Supreme Court Allows Trump To Exempt Employers From Obamacare Birth Control Mandate.”

Trump has also tried to use his office to undue meaningful regulations around workplace harassment and fair pay. 

NBC News: “On March 27, Trump revoked the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order then-President Barack Obama put in place to ensure that companies with federal contracts comply with 14 labor and civil rights laws.”

Washington Post: “A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to reinstate an Obama-era rule that required companies to report pay data by race and gender, a move advocates say will help shrink the wage gap.  Tanya S. Chutkan, a U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia, ruled that the Trump administration violated the law when it halted the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s efforts to collect pay data by race and gender from large companies.”

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.