President Biden greeted at Milwaukee Laborfest by hundreds of supporters and opposition

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- President Joe Biden took the stage at Milwaukee Laborfest on Monday and was welcomed by hundreds of supporters. He was also met with some opposition.

In the closing minutes of President Biden's speech, a man was removed from the crowd after shouting at the President and calling him a "liar."

President Biden paused his speech and addressed the man, saying "God love you" before telling the crowd "everybody is entitled to be an idiot."

While on stage, President Biden spoke on a variety of topics including protecting unions and working-class American families, his infrastructure bill and about the need to protect Social Security. He also praised the unions and their support of him over the years.

"I wouldn't be here without unions," President Biden exclaimed. "I got elected when I was 29 years old, the United States Senate with a state that recently meant right to work. You know why? Union labor endorsed me and fought for me. The middle class built America, everybody knows that. Unions built the middle class."

The President also made it a point to voice his support for Governor Tony Evers, who is up for re-election this fall, and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, who is looking to unseat Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson.

"He's going to be your next United States senator," President Biden said of Barnes, who was not present at the event.

Ahead of the President's visit, members of the Republican party here in Wisconsin held a press conference criticizing President Biden and his policies. They took aim at the President's decision to forgive up to $10,000 in student loans for a large majority of American borrowers, a topic President Biden did not address during his speech.

"The President introduced a loan payoff plan in which he was telling individuals who went to college and knew what they were pay for, 'we're just going to forgive $10,000,'" said Paul Farrow, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. "That puts it right onto the burden of these hardworking individuals who we're thankful for today. They're the ones that are going to have to be paying off this debt for others."

Senator Ron Johnson echoed Farrow's frustration.

"What made this country great are the people that work hard, they get up every morning, they go to work and they contribute," said Sen. Johnson. "The Biden administration policies, the Democrat governance, is crushing these individuals."

In a separate event, held just outside the Henry Maier Festival Park, Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels held his own news conference where he took aim at President Biden and his opponent, Governor Tony Evers.

"They've done nothing but come up with bad policies," Michels said. "Joe Biden? From the botched Afghanistan withdrawal to today's Biden inflation. Tony Evers? From Covid to Kenosha. Bad instincts. Bad leadership."

President Biden told his crowd of supporters America is facing a crucial time in our nation's history, indicating it's important to work toward the future.

"Everything's changing. Everything is changing," President Biden said. "We're going to have to ask whether we want to be a country that moves forward or backwards. Are we going to build a future or obsess about the past?"

The last time President Biden visited Milwaukee was for a CNN Town Hall in February 2021.