Third Congressional District Candidates Share Thoughts on President Trump Visit

Candidates for Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District are sharing their thoughts on President Donald Trump’s visit to the Chippewa Valley.

President Trump aimed to highlight his support for farmers during the visit amid their struggles with tariffs and higher gas prices. He spoke for about 45 minutes during the roundtable with farmers at Custer Farms in Chippewa County on Friday, covering topics ranging from the Iran War and border security to the economy and midterm elections in Wisconsin.

2024 Democratic nominee for the Third Congressional District Rebecca Cooke held a press conference at her family’s farm in Eau Claire ahead of the visit on Friday morning, sharing what she’s been hearing from farmers while traveling the district.

“They feel betrayed,” she said. “I think that people voted for Trump for this America First agenda and thought that he was going to put the interests of working farm families first and it’s been exactly the opposite. I’ve talked to people that were, you know, three time Trump voters that are voting the opposite.”

Later on Friday, area residents gathered to protest the President’s visit outside the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport and outside the roundtable discussion. Former Eau Claire City Council President and current candidate for Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District Emily Berge attended the airport protest, and shared her thoughts on the recent high profile visits from President Trump and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. days earlier.

“Well the people of the Third, we know that we can change the whole trajectory of the country,” she said. “Because we are a swing district in a swing state and we have so much power. Now they are trying to take it away from us, but this is why the people need to rise up like we’re seeing today peacefully, and people need to vote in August and then November.”

State Senator and Democratic candidate for Governor Kelda Roys also attended the airport protest, sharing her thoughts on why Republican lawmakers are placing so much emphasis on the Third Congressional District.

“I think Republican politicians can sense how angry Wisconsinites are because of their broken promises,” she said. “We’ve seen nothing but chaos and corruption and high costs out of Washington. And that’s not just Donald Trump’s fault, it’s Tom Tiffany and Derrick Van Orden’s fault too. And we as Wisconsinites are going to hold them accountable in November.”

Organizers of the protests estimated a crowd of about 300 people outside the airport and a crowd of over 150 people outside of the roundtable discussion.