MILWAUKEE — President Joe Biden will travel to Milwaukee on Labor Day, a White House spokesperson confirmed Monday.
A White House spokesperson said Biden will visit both Milwaukee and Pittsburgh on Labor Day to “celebrate Labor Day and the dignity of American workers.”
According to the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, the president’s visit to Milwaukee will include an appearance at Laborfest, an annual Labor Day celebration that celebrates workers and the organized labor movement.
“We are very honored to welcome President Joe Biden to Milwaukee,” Milwaukee Area Labor Council’s announcement reads. “We know that he and his administration value and honor the role of the American worker in our economy.”
This year’s event will take place at the Henry Maier Festival Grounds, with a parade scheduled to kick off the festivities at 11 a.m. It’s unclear exactly when Biden will appear at the event.
Biden’s visit to Wisconsin comes on the heels of a CNN report claiming Gov. Tony Evers’ administration asked Biden to abandon plans for an end-of-July speech in the state. According to the report, Evers’ administration was concerned about being seen in public with the president amid Biden’s low approval rating.
According to a Marquette Law School poll released in August, Biden’s job approval rating sat at 40%, while 55% of respondents said they disapproved of his time in office thus far. That was an improvement from June’s numbers which had 57% of respondents disapproving of the president’s job performance.
The CNN report and Biden’s low approval rating both came before Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan was announced and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included significant measures to address climate change — both of which were key promises he made on the campaign trail.
White House aides had planned to go forward with the speech until realizing they’d need to cancel the popular Oshkosh Air Show in order to meet security needs, according to CNN’s report.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Gov. Tony Evers said he welcomes the president’s visit, and that he has no problem appearing with Biden on Labor Day.
“It’ll be good to be back. Labor Day is always a big day in the state of Wisconsin and the President is certainly welcome to be here and share his hope for the future,” Gov. Evers said Monday.
Both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are in the midst of high-stakes races for governor and U.S. Senate.
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