Pres. Trump draws contrasts with Biden in campaign stop

Updated: 10:56 p.m. on August 17, 2020

OSHKOSH, Wis. (CBS 58) – President Donald Trump’s presence in the state was in sharp contrast to Joe Biden’s planned absence from the DNC in Milwaukee, an event that is now nearly entirely virtual.

It was a difference the president drew attention to.

“I wonder if Joe Biden is taping his speech too? Because if he is, I think I’ll tape mine too,” Pres. Trump said.

The president’s campaign event drew hundreds despite state health leaders discouraging mass gatherings due to concerns over COVID-19.

Trump touched on the ongoing pandemic briefly during his speech but primarily used the opportunity to depict his opponent as extreme and as a threat to the economic livelihoods of his base of voters.

“We’ve got to stop these radical left maniacs,” Trump said. “We’ve got to win this election.”

The president currently trails Biden 49-44 in the most recent Marquette University Law School Poll released last week. That polling tracks with others from UW-Madison and CBS News.

But the president’s supporters believe events like this one may be a much-needed boost for his campaign.

“I’m feeling very strong,” Rich Strohm, a Trump supporter from Burlington said. “The more he’s out on the trail, and Joe Biden is sitting in his basement and not meeting with voters, I think the contrast is going to be very clear.”

Biden supporters who arrived outside the event in protest say they are cautiously optimistic about polling but are concerned about how the president’s actions around the pandemic and the U.S. Postal Service may affect the election.

“It’s hard to say, I think the polls are very good for Biden now,” Bruce Fealk said. Fealk is from Michigan but his grandchildren live in Madison. “But you can’t predict what this president is going to do.”

The stop in Oshkosh is part of a week-long effort of counterprogramming from the Trump campaign.

On Tuesday, one of the president’s sons, Eric Trump is set to hold an event in Milwaukee and Vice President Mike Pence visits Darien on Wednesday.
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Posted: 10:26 a.m. on August 17, 2020

OSHKOSH, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Trump campaign is attempting to take some of the spotlight away from Democrats this week, with some counter-programming -- including visits to Wisconsin. President Donald Trump is set to give a speech on jobs and the economy at Wittman Airport in Oshkosh Monday, Aug. 17.  

We’re about one hour away from when @realDonaldTrump is set to speak here in Oshkosh. Here’s our view of the stage from the risers. pic.twitter.com/Id873d4bsL

— Victor Jacobo (@victorjacobo_) August 17, 2020

The most recent Marquette University Law School Poll, Pres. Trump trails the Democratic presumptive nominee Joe Biden 49 to 44. That's in line with other recent polls, including one from CBS News and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Part of the Trump campaign's counter-programming to the Democratic National Convention this week includes not just visits like the one in Oshkosh, but also a national ad blitz. 

All this is happening while the focus is still on Pres. Trump's response to the coronavirus, including efforts to affect funding for the United States Postal Service which is set to see record amounts of absentee voting by mail across the country. 

The Trump campaign's counter-programming continues this week with Vice President Mike Pence visiting Darien, Wisconsin on Wednesday -- the same day Biden's VP pick, Kamala Harris, is set to speak at the DNC. 

Pres. Trump is set to speak in Oshkosh at 4:30 p.m. Monday. 

Follow CBS 58 on air and online for live coverage of this event.