Trump Rallies in Racine, Pledges Economic Revival

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sought to present himself as the best candidate for the U.S. economy at a rally in Racine, Wisconsin, where a local factory that he broke ground on six years ago has proven to be a major flop.

The former president also vowed to quickly reverse a plan announced by Democratic President Joe Biden earlier in the day that would give hundreds of thousands of people in the country illegally a pathway to citizenship.

"When I am re-elected, Joe Biden's amnesty plan will be ripped apart and thrown out," Trump said of the immigration order, which applies to certain spouses of U.S. citizens and some children.

Trump was in the largely working-class, lakeside city of Racine in 2018 to celebrate what was expected to be a $10 billion investment by Taiwanese technology group Foxconn. During his 2017 to 2021 term, Trump touted the facility, designed to produce TVs, as an example of how his "America First" policies had rejuvenated American manufacturing.

But while Foxconn originally forecast 13,000 new jobs at the factory, the company now expects to create only about 1,500 positions. Vacant fields west of downtown Racine, threaded by empty roadways, serve as a local symbol of unmet promises.

The company, which did not respond to a request for comment, previously said that it changed its plans due to a reduction in projected demand for the factory's products.

"Nobody can buy a house anymore. The American dream is dead. The interest rates are through the roof," Trump said to a crowd assembled on the shore of Lake Michigan.

According to an average of surveys maintained by polling, Trump leads Biden in Wisconsin by 0.2 percentage points, despite having lost the state in 2020, and the two candidates are competing furiously for every vote.

Trump has a solid base of local support, with many voters willing to move past Foxconn.