James Heale James Heale

Milwaukee reluctantly prepares for Trumpmania

Workers raise balloons to the ceiling in preparation for the RNC (Getty)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee will host America’s conservative elite for the next five days – including Donald Trump, who has just survived an assassination attempt. This true-blue city has been chosen to host the Republican National Convention, primarily because of it’s the largest city in swing state Wisconsin.

Around 50,000 delegates, politicians, apparatchiks and journalists are arriving here for the formal coronation of Trump – much to the chagrin of many locals. The city voted 79 per cent for Biden in 2020, with Trump subsequently seeking to overturn thousands of votes. ‘I don’t want them here’ was the reaction of Fred Smith, 54, when he saw the giant Republican elephant, emblazoned on the side of the Fiserv Forum – where his beloved Bucks play their home games.

It’s not just politics that is irritating the local residents. The necessary security to accommodate the Republican elite has put parts of the city in near-lockdown.

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