MADISON, Wis. — President Joe Biden will make his fifth trip of this year to Wisconsin on Friday. This time, he is expected to host a campaign event in Madison.

Friday’s trip will be the president’s first stop in the Badger State since the debate, and it comes on the heels of growing concerns among Democrats.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden plans to return to Wisconsin for the fifth time this year with a campaign event in Madison on Friday

  • The visit to the battleground state will be Biden’s first since the presidential debate

  • Earlier this week, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first Democrat in Congress to call for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race

  • U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who faces reelection this fall, doesn’t plan to appear with Biden when he visits her hometown on Friday

Earlier this week, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first Democratic member of Congress to publicly call on Biden to withdraw from the race. Only time will tell if the list grows, however, until then the White House seems to be playing defense.

“Some of you here, in this room, can certainly relate to you know, what can happen when you’re having an important moment and you’re not feeling well, and also you wish you could have done better,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a briefing Wednesday in which she denied reports Biden is evaluating whether to stay in the race. “So, he took ownership, I think that’s important, and he’s going to continue to make a strong case for his agenda.”

President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, participate in a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Unlike Biden’s last visit to Wisconsin, Friday’s trip will technically be a campaign event.

The president was last in the state in May to visit Racine County and celebrate Microsoft’s $3.3 billion investment to build a new artificial intelligence data center. That trip was made in his official capacity, so the rhetoric tends to be toned down a bit even though during an election year any visit, no matter the capacity, amounts to a form of campaigning.

Though details of Friday’s visit are sparse, WisPolitics has reported U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin does not plan to join Biden in her hometown due to prior commitments that include parades and meet and greets scheduled for the holiday weekend.

Wisconsin leaders have outwardly appeared supportive of the president in the wake of his debate performance. However, the Biden campaign will likely focus on re-energizing base supporters in such a critical swing state, as appears to be the case with a campaign stop also scheduled in Pennsylvania, another battleground, on Sunday.

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