MILWAUKEE (AP) — President Donald Trump barnstormed for his new trade deal with Mexico and Canada during a visit to Wisconsin on Friday, hoping that its economic impact will help him to retain a battleground state vital to his re-election effort. Trump told workers at Derco Aerospace the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which has yet to pass Congress, would be “vital to the future” of the nation’s manufacturing economy and would provide “the strongest protections yet for American workers.” “I want you to have a level playing field because when you have a level playing field, nobody can beat you,” he said. Trump in 2016 became the first Republican to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton by just 22,748 votes. Along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, the Rust Belt state was meant to be part of the Democrats’ safety net against Trump, but Clinton failed to visit the state even once during the general election campaign — a fact the president misses few chances to mention. Trump opened his Milwaukee speech by reminiscing about his Wisconsin victory on Election Day, then did a quick segue to promoting the trade pact. “The deal will have a tremendous impact on your state,” said Trump. “After years of rebuilding foreign nations, we are finally rebuilding our nation. It’s as simple as that.” Wisconsin was one of two Midwest stops Friday designed to warm up Trump’s 2020 campaign engine with fundraisers expected to bring in a combined $7 million, according to the Republican National Committee.
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