Trump to tout trade, economy in formerly blue Wisconsin

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump loves to reminisce about his upset Wisconsin win in the 2016 election after Democrat Hillary Clinton took the state for granted.

He's determined not to make the same mistake himself.

Wisconsin now counts as a pivotal state for the president's re-election chances. But on the eve of his sixth visit to the state since taking office, Trump lashed out at one of Wisconsin's favorite sons, former House Speaker Paul Ryan over his unflattering comments about the president in a new book.

"Paul Ryan, the failed V.P. candidate & former Speaker of the House, whose record of achievement was atrocious (except during my first two years as President), ultimately became a long running lame duck failure, leaving his Party in the lurch both as a fundraiser & leader," Trump tweeted late Thursday.

Trump is making two Midwest stops today designed to warm up his 2020 campaign engine with fundraisers. He'll also try to showcase the strong economy and push for Congress to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which could squarely impact Wisconsin.

He became the first Republican to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984, defeating Clinton by just 22,748 votes. Along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, the Rust Belt state was meant to be the Democrats' safety net against Trump, but Clinton failed to visit the state even once during the general election campaign – a fact the president has mentioned time and time again.

"The Republicans haven't won the great state of Wisconsin in decades," Trump incongruously reminisced in Florida in March. "I went there a lot and in all fairness, her husband Bill, who's a good politician – they didn't listen to him. He said, 'You better go to Wisconsin.'"