There's never a convenient time for a presidential motorcade, but even if Donald Trump were trying to maximize disruption on his latest trip to Milwaukee he couldn't have timed it any better. On short notice yesterday the president announced that he will be in town tonight to stay at the Pfister Hotel, where he'll host a fundraiser ahead of Thursday's Foxconn groundbreaking.
To accommodate him, a considerable chunk of downtown will be barricaded starting at 11 a.m. this morning, including, according to a Department of Public Works notice:
- East Wells Street on the north. Note that Wells Street itself will be open to thru traffic
- North Jackson Street on the east
- East Michigan Street on the south. Note that Michigan Street itself will be open to thru traffic
- North Milwaukee Street on the west
That's perilously close to the Summerfest grounds, where the festival is set to kick off its opening night with a big 9:30 p.m. fireworks display that causes impressive traffic backups on its own.
According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department, the I-794 northbound lanes of the Hoan Bridge will close tonight at 8 p.m. ahead to the fireworks, during which all lanes of the Hoan will be closed. They're expected to reopen around 10:30 p.m. Drivers can also expect closures at Lincoln Memorial Drive.
Bad timing is sort of a running theme with this visit. The president arrives in the midst of a public feud with one of the state's most iconic companies, Harley-Davidson, which just announced that it would be moving some jobs overseas in response to Trump's tariffs. "A Harley-Davidson should never be built in another country-never!" the president tweeted Tuesday, although Harley already manufactures motorcycles at plants overseas. "If they move, watch, it will be the beginning of the end ... The Aura will be gone and they will be taxed like never before!"
