Biden lauds Microsoft project, trolls Trump in Wisconsin
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STORY: “Folks, I'm here to talk about a great comeback story in America.” U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday visited southeastern Wisconsin to announce plans by Microsoft to build a $3.3 billion data center in the battleground state. And while it's common for a president seeking reelection to tout new initiatives and investments, this one is more pointed. The facility in Racine County will sit on the same land where former president Donald Trump in 2017 boasted electronics firm Foxconn would build a $10 billion factory. TRUMP 2017: "The company's initial investment of more than 10 billion dollars will create 3,000 jobs at a minimum, with the potential for up to 13,000 jobs in the very near future.” Trump grabbed golden shovels for the factory site groundbreaking in 2018 alongside former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, Foxconn founder Terry Gou, and others…. …before the company drastically scaled back the plan later. “They dug a hole with those golden shovels, and then they fell into it." Biden pounced on this fact during Wednesday’s speech. “Foxconn turned out to be just that - a con [FLASH] 83,500 total jobs left Wisconsin during my predecessor's term. But that's not on my watch. We're determined to turn it around. Thus far, since we've come to office, we've created and with the governors and overwhelming leadership, we've created over 178,000 jobs in Wisconsin. And We're going to create more here in Racine and big time.” The Democratic president will once again face Trump, a Republican, on Election Day in November. And Biden is eager to boost his flagging poll numbers with good economic news. According to the White House, Microsoft's plans will result in 2,300 union construction jobs and around 2,000 permanent jobs over time. It added that Microsoft will partner with Gateway Technical College to train 1,000 people for data center and other roles by 2030, and will work to train 1,000 business leaders to adopt artificial intelligence in their operations. “It's going to be transformative, not just here, but worldwide. It's not only a significant investment in infrastructure in Racine, but for the people of Racine.” Biden also used his fourth trip this year to Wisconsin - one of seven swing states critical to his 2024 reelection bid - to meet with volunteers in Racine's Black community. Biden is seeking to shore up support among Black voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, with national polls showing him essentially tied in a rematch with Trump.
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