Trump Says He ‘Always’ Wanted To Stay In Milwaukee For GOP Convention After Reports He Planned To Commute From Chicago

Former President Donald Trump firmly rejected claims that he had dismissed Milwaukee as a “horrible” city plagued by crime and revealed that he would stay in the city for the convention, with the insistence that his decision to hold the event there was intentional and well-reasoned.

“I was always planning on staying here,” Trump told WTMJ, the NBC affiliate in Milwaukee. “Again, I chose Milwaukee for a reason.” This statement directly contradicts earlier reports that the Secret Service and local law enforcement had prepared for Trump to stay at his hotel in Chicago for the duration of the convention.

Chicago Alderman Brian Hopkins, the city council’s public safety committee chair, had previously stated that the Trump campaign had communicated plans for the former president to stay at Trump Tower in Chicago. However, Hopkins said the campaign “abruptly changed their minds” and informed the city that Trump would not come after all.

In the interview, Trump also refuted allegations that he had disparaged Milwaukee in a meeting with House Republicans in Washington, D.C., last week. Instead, he claimed that he had spoken more broadly about crime rates in various cities. He also noted he had selected Milwaukee for the convention long before he became the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee.

Trump went on to express concerns about the high levels of crime and the prevalence of guns “in certain hands” in many urban areas. When asked about his plans to collaborate with big-city mayors to address these issues, he emphasized, “Basic great police work, you have to give the authority and the control back to the police.”

Additionally, Trump lashed out at President Joe Biden’s recent effort to allow undocumented immigrant spouses of American citizens and their children to reside in the United States. Trump claimed that this move was “for the vote” and suggested that the Biden administration “won’t stop there” in its pursuit of immigration reform. 

This sentiment was echoed in Trump’s rally held in Racine, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, where he criticized Biden’s border policies and highlighted cases of crime committed by undocumented immigrants in the United States. However, Trump’s assertions about a broader crime wave fueled by migrants are not supported by any evidence.

Trump recently revealed his shortlist of vice presidential candidates while he awaits sentencing for his conviction in his hush-money trial. Last week, he completed his probation interview remotely from Mar-a-Lago.