COVID.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GATHERED AT
A DONALD TRUMP THIS AFTERNOON,
ONLY SOME WEARING MASKS.
JOE BIDEN SEEN HERE LIVE IN
MILWAUKEE SET UP A SOCIALLY
DISTANCED SPACE.
HE'S SPEAKING RIGHT NOW IN A
HANGER AT MITCHELL FIELD TO A
COUPLE DOZEN SUPPORTERS.
THAT OUTBREAK HAS BEEN BUILDING
ALL YEAR LONG AND "HERE AND NOW"
SEEFNOR POLITICAL REPORTER ZAC
SCHULTZ TELLS US HOW THE
COVID-19 HAS ALTERED THE STATE
OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE IN
WISCONSIN.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES, DONALD J. TRUMP.
>> ON JANUARY 14 DONALD TRUMP
HELD A RALLY IN DOWNTOWN
MILWAUKEE.
BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS
ASSUMED IT WOULD BE THE FIRST OF
MANY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
VISITS.
>> NUMBER ONE, WISCONSIN IS THE
BATTLEGROUND STATE THAT COULD
TIP THE ENTIRE PRESIDENTIAL RACE
ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
>> SO I THINK EVERYBODY SORT OF
REALIZES THAT THE ROAD TO THE
WHITE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH
WISCONSIN.
>> ON THAT NIGHT, DONALD TRUMP
LAID OUT HIS CASE FOR
REELECTION, WITH A STATEMENT
THAT WOULD BE COMPLETELY
UP-ENDED OVER THE NEXT NINE
MONTHS.
>> AS WE BEGIN THE YEAR, OUR
ECONOMY IS BOOMING, WAGES ARE
RISING, POVERTY IS PLUMMETING,
CRIME IS FALLING AND AMERICA IS
THE ENVY OF THE ENTIRE WORLD.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE
AUDIENCE WERE LIKELY UNAWARE THE
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HELD A
BRIEFING THAT VERY DAY ON THE
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS THAT HAD BEEN
DISCOVERED IN CHINA, SAYING FROM
THE INFORMATION WE HAVE, IT IS
POSSIBLE THERE IS LIMITED
HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION.
THE FIRST CASE APPEARED IN
WISCONSIN THREE WEEKS LATER, ON
FEBRUARY 5.
THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC COMPLETELY
CHANGED THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION IN WISCONSIN.
AS CASES BEGAN TO RISE, GOVERNOR
TONY EVERS DECLARED A HEALTH
EMERGENCY.
>> AND THAT ALL STEPS ARE BEING
TAKEN TO STOP THE SPREAD OF THIS
VIRUS.
>> INSTEAD OF A HEATED
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY,
WE NEVER SAW A CANDIDATE IN
WISCONSIN.
AND JOE BIDEN'S WIN ON APRIL 7
WAS AN AFTERTHOUGHT.
>> ANYBODY ELSE HERE FOR FOUR
MORE YEARS FOR PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE?
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> BY THE MIDDLE OF JUNE,
WISCONSIN'S SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE
WAS AT 304 NEW CASES A DAY AND
MIKE PENCE CAME TO MILWAUKEE
PROMOTING TRUMP'S MESSAGE THAT
STATES SHOULD BE OPENING UP
THEIR ECONOMIES.
>> SOME 40 DATES JUST LIKE
WISCONSIN ARE OPENING UP AGAIN.
>> BUT THE RACE IN WISCONSIN WAS
ABOUT TO RECEIVE ITS SECOND
MAJOR COVID SHOCK AS JOE BIDEN'S
TEAM ANNOUNCED THE DEMOCRATIC
NATIONAL CONVENTION WOULD BE
GOING VIRTUAL AND ALL THE PLANS
ABOUT USING THE CONVENTION TO
ENERGIZE WISCONSIN'S DEMOCRATS
WERE LOST.
>> I ACCEPT THIS NOMINATION FOR
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.
>> WHILE JOE BIDEN ACCEPTED THE
NOMINATION FROM DELAWARE, DONALD
TRUMP TRIED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
HIS ABSENCE, HOLDING A RALLY IN
OSHKOSH.
>> THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
ELECTION WE'VE EVER HAD, IN MY
OPINION.
>> WHILE WISCONSIN HIT AN
AVERAGE OF 720 NEW CASES PER
DAY, HE STARTED MAKING PROMISES
ABOUT A VACCINE.
>> THREE VACCINES ARE IN THE
FINAL STAGES OF CLINICAL TRIALS
AND WE'RE MASS PRODUCING DOSES
ALREADY BECAUSE WE THINK IT
WORKS AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IT
OUT VERY QUICKLY.
WE WILL DEFEAT THE CHINA VIRUS.
>> BY SEPTEMBER IT LOOKED LIKE
TRUMP'S HANDLING OF COVID-19
MIGHT BE REPLACED AS THE MOST
IMPORTANT ISSUE IN THE RACE.
THE SHOOTING OF JACOB BLAKE BY
POLICE IN KENOSHA AND PROTESTS
AND VIOLENCE COINCIDED WITH A
LULL IN WISCONSIN'S CASELOAD.
BUT WHEN DONALD TRUMP AND JOE
BIDEN VISITED KENOSHA, THEIR
APPROACH TO THE VIRUS WAS
APPARENT.
>> YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THE
MASKS OFF.
OR YOU CAN LEAVE THEM O. EITHER
WAY.
>> THE WORDS OF A PRESIDENT
MATTER.
NO MATTER THE GOOD, BAD OR
INDIFFERENT, THEY MATTER.
>> SEPTEMBER ALMOST FELT LIKE A
NORMAL PRESIDENTIAL YEAR, WITH
BOTH CANDIDATES TRAVELING THE
STATE.
BUT COVID-19 CASES WERE RISING
FAST, WITH MORE THAN 2,000 NEW
CASES CONFIRMED ON THE 17TH,
WHEN DONALD TRUMP FLEW INTO
CENTRAL WISCONSIN AIRPORT.
>> WE'RE DAG A DOING A GREAT JOB
RELATIVE TO OTHER COUNTRIES ON
THE CORONAVIRUS.
>> A WEEK LATER JOE BIDEN WAS IN
MANITOWOC HAS THE NATION REACHED
200,000 DEAD FROM THE
CORONAVIRUS.
>> WHAT WORRIES ME NOW IS WE'VE
BEEN LIVING WITH THIS PANDEMIC
FOR SO LONG I WORRY WE'RE
RISKING BECOMING NUMB TO THE
TOLL IT HAS TAKEN ON US.
>> THEN CAME THE THIRD BIG COVID
SHOCK, AS WISCONSIN'S AVERAGE
CASELOAD HIT 2400 A DAY, DONALD
TRUMP TESTED POSITIVE FOR
COVID-19.
>> I'M GOING TO WALTER REED
HOSPITAL.
>> JOE BIDEN'S CAMPAIGN IN
WISCONSIN WENT VIRTUAL.
BUT TWO WEEKS LATER AS
WISCONSIN'S AVERAGE CASELOAD HIT
27 # ON## 00 A DAY, MIKE PENCE WAS
BACK.
>> WE WILL ERADICATE THE CHINA
VIRUS.
>> FOUR DAYS LATER, DONALD TRUMP
TOLD AN AUDIENCE IN JANESVILLE
HE WAS NOW IMMUNE AND DESPITE
ALL EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY, HE
IMPLIED THE CORONAVIRUS WAS
UNDER CONTROL.
>> WE'RE ROUNDING THE CORNER.
YOU'LL SEE IT.
WE'RE ROUNDING THE CORNER.
AND WE HAVE UNBELIEVABLE.
THE VACCINES ARE UNBELIEVABLE.
>> A VACCINE WON'T BE AVAILABLE
UNTIL NEXT YEAR, BUT TRUMP
PROMISED IT WILL BE HERE SOON
EXPWHRVMENT.
>> VACCINES ARE COMING OUT REAL
SOON.
EXCUSE ME.
I'M HERE.
>> TRUMP CONTINUED TO BLITZ THE
STATE IN THE FINAL WEEK EVEN AS
CASES SOARED ABOVE 5,000 A DAY,
PROVING THAT DESPITE THE
PANDEMIC THE PRESIDENTIAL
POLITICS REMAIN THE SAME.
>> WE WISCONSIN, WE WIN THE
WHOLE BALL GAME.
>> REPORTING FROM MADISON, I'M
ZAC SCHULTZ FOR "HERE AND NOW."