Democrats, protesters react to VP Pence’s visit to southeastern Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) – With the political spotlight on the visits for President Trump and Vice President Pence to Wisconsin, Democrats and protestors expressed their disapproval of the administration’s first term in office and voiced hope for change in the upcoming presidential election.

One topic that’s sparked recent criticism is the administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and President Trump’s recent comments at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he suggested that he told White House staff to encourage the slowing down of testing for virus.

“This president has failed to provide the leadership needed for this pandemic,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D – Wisconsin) told CBS 58 in an interview. “So many months into this pandemic so much suffering way too many deaths that would’ve been prevented with earlier leadership and action by President Trump and his administration.”

A diverse group of protesters outside the ‘Faith in America’ event in Pewaukee gathered to express disapproval of the VP’s visit. The group featured people invested in various movements and causes including Black Lives Matter, immigration, LGBTQ issues and labor unions.

“The people in power are the problem, and we need to fix that,” Sabrina Benson, a Waukesha resident and co-founder of Communities Ending Racism now, told CBS 58. “So the more we come out, agitate and say we’re not standing for this, then the more that we can actually push for change and get brave, come out, use our voices and connect with each other.”

In a statement, the Joe Biden campaign criticized Pence’s visit, including the vice president’s roundtable with Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. “As president, Joe Biden will fire DeVos and nominate a Secretary of Education with experience in a public school classroom,” the statement read. “And unlike Trump, he’ll pay teachers what they deserve and triple funding for schools that serve low-income students.”