'A con': President Biden trolls Trump with $3.3 billion Microsoft AI project in Wisconsin
WASHINGTON ― Six years ago, then-President Donald Trump hailed the "eighth wonder of the world" at a groundbreaking in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, for a high-tech campus planned by electronics manufacturer Foxconn.
But the $10 billion project fizzled, and the sprawling facility was never built even after homes were demolished to make way.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden visited the same spot in Racine County, Wisconsin, to tout his administration's role in jump-starting a $3.3 billion artificial intelligence data center by Microsoft that is expected to create 2,000 tech jobs along with 2,300 construction jobs.
And he was sure to remind Wisconsites what Trump told them in 2018.
"My predecessor claimed he would ‘reclaim our country's manufacturing legacy,'" Biden said of Trump during a ceremony celebrating the Microsoft announcement. "He didn't build a damn thing ... In fact, he came here with your senator, Ron Johnson, literally holding a golden shovel, promising to build the 'eighth wonder of the world.'"
"Are you kidding me? Look what happened. They dug a hole with those golden shovels and then they fell into it," Biden added. "Foxconn turned out to be just that ? a con. Go figure."
More: Microsoft Racine County data center expansion, new AI training focus of Biden visit to state
The Foxconn project previously pushed by Trump was supposed to create 13,000 manufacturing jobs to produce LCD screens in Wisconsin. Microsoft's new data center and surrounding campus will be devoted to expanding its national cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure capacity, according to the company.
About 1,000 manufacturing jobs left Racine and 6,000 left Wisconsin during the Trump administration, according to the White House. Since Biden took office, which coincided with millions of jobs returning after the pandemic, 4,000 jobs have been added in Racine and 177,000 have been added in Wisconsin.
"During the previous administration, my predecessor made promises which he broke more than kept, and left a lot of people behind in communities like Racine," Biden said. "Under my watch, we make promises and we keep promises."
Wisconsin, which Biden narrowly won by less than 1 percentage point in the 2020 election, is again a key battleground state that will help decide the 2024 election.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and Racine Mayor Cory Mason also attended the event, held at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, with Biden, Microsoft executives and union representatives.
"After all that hype and all that hope, the promises made by Donald Trump failed to come to Racine County," said Nick Fick, president of membership development at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 430. "But now our luck has changed."
Biden, who recently scrapped his "Bidenomics" slogan amid lingering concerns about the economy, is seeking credit for using the federal government to spur a wave of domestic manufacturing projects through his "Investing in America" agenda.
Biden pushed through multiple pieces of legislation that offer financial incentives for businesses that invest in clean energy and microchips, as well as a historic spending on infrastructure.
"Everything that we are doing here in Racine County, Wisconsin, is also benefiting directly from the work of this White House and this president," Microsoft President Brad Smith said, singling out the infrastructure law, the Chips and Science Act and the White House's work to regulate artificial intelligence.
Yet despite the Microsoft announcement, the economy remains a liability for Biden nationally and in Wisconsin. A poll last month conducted by Marquette University Law School found Wisconsin voters trust Trump over Biden to handle the economy by a wide 52%-34% margin.
“Joe Biden is trying to save face in Racine County as Wisconsinites feel the pain of Bidenomics," Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. "Manufacturing has stalled, family farms are shuttering, and costs are up for everything from electricity and gas to food and housing. It’s no wonder why Biden is losing in Wisconsin and battleground states across the country: His policies have failed and people want President Trump back in office.”
Microsoft plans to pair its data center with a new job training program, operated by Gateway Technical College, that's expected to train 1,000 employees in artificial intelligence work.
Microsoft's first data center building is under construction and expected to open in 2026, with plans for three others on the same site. In all, the company owns nearly two square miles of industrial land, positioning it for decades of new construction.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found Biden leads Trump 40%-39% in Wisconsin, followed by independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with 12%. In a head-to-head race with no third-party candidates, Biden leads Trump 50%-44% in Wisconsin, the poll found.
While in Racine County ? during his fourth trip to Wisconsin this year ? Biden also held a campaign event aimed at outreach to Black voters, a key Democratic constituency that the campaign needs to energize for the election.
His trip came as the Biden campaign announced a $14 million television advertisement buy in Wisconsin and other battleground states with a focus on reaching out to Black, Latino and other voters of color.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden trolls Trump with $3.3B Microsoft AI project in Wisconsin
