Obama rallies Democrats in Wisconsin's liberal bastion as they fret over 'coin flip' election

MADISON, Wis. — With just two weeks to go, in one of the tightest of the battleground states, former President Barack Obama on Tuesday made the case against Donald Trump, casting Trump’s words as dangerous, extreme and “shameful” as he fired up the base in a liberal bastion of the state.

Before thousands of people — many of them jittery Democrats, nervous about the closeness of the race — Obama delivered pleas to not just support Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz but also to volunteer, knock on doors and get their friends and neighbors to vote. 

“I understand why folks are looking to shake things up. I get it. What I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that’s good for you,” Obama said. “That I do not understand, because there is absolutely no evidence that this man thinks about anybody but himself.” 

It was the first day of early voting in Wisconsin, which went for Joe Biden in 2020 by just more than 20,000 votes. 

Obama asked voters to consider fundamental values when they head to the polls. As an example, he turned to Hurricane Helene, a devastating storm that tore through western North Carolina. He noted that Biden and Harris visited the state to meet with local officials and survey the damage. 

“Donald Trump and his running mate are making up stories about how the Biden administration is withholding aid and giving it to undocumented workers and not giving it to Republican areas — just making stuff up,” Obama said. “And even the MAGA Republicans down in those areas, on the ground, said it was a bald-faced lie. It is shameful. When did something like that become OK, no matter where you stand on the issues?”

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Trump also went to North Carolina this week to tour the damage.

Before Obama, Walz addressed the crowd and chided Trump’s newest benefactor and one of his biggest boosters, billionaire Elon Musk. 

“I’m going to talk about his running mate — his running mate Elon Musk,” Walz said to laughs. Then, referring to an outdoor rally that featured an animated Musk leaping with his arms over his head, Walz said, “Elon’s on that stage jumping around, skipping like a dips---.” 

“That guy is literally the richest man in the world spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election,” Walz said, adding that Trump has said that if he is elected, he would give Musk authority over “government regulations, overseeing the businesses.”

“So in other words,” Walz said, “Donald Trump in front of the eyes of the American people is promising corruption.” 

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The crowd exuded enthusiasm, cheering and chanting throughout the speakers. That included for Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is in a tight re-election fight against Republican challenger Eric Hovde. 

Still, Democrat after Democrat here expressed concern about the tight nature of the election.

“I’m a little worried. It is so close,” Denise King said. She said that she had done some canvassing and that the reaction was “a mixed bag” of people supporting Trump or Harris. Ultimately, though, she said she believes that if voters come out, the state will deliver a win for Harris. 

Another voter, Mary Mixon, said she sees a lot of enthusiasm for Harris but remains nervous about the margin-of-error race. 

“I am worried, because I think Donald Trump has brainwashed people,” Mixon said. “You wouldn’t believe anyone else who lied like that. Why would you believe him? He’s a con man.” 

Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler underscored how close the race is but said that he has faith in the party’s organization in canvassing efforts in even rural areas of the state and that he is encouraged that Harris and Walz have targeted battleground regions of the state in visits. 

“It’s a pure coin flip at this moment, but I would not trade places for the Republicans,” Wikler said in an interview. “The grassroots energy, the organization on our side, the amazing surrogates that we have … as well as the extraordinary power of our candidates to communicate a message that resonates widely.”