POLITICS

President Donald Trump planning Wisconsin visit on Tuesday

Tom Daykin

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

President Donald Trump is planning a visit to Snap-On in Kenosha on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump is planning a Tuesday visit to the Kenosha headquarters of tool manufacturer Snap-on Inc., his first visit to Wisconsin since taking office.

That's according to Rep. Tod Ohnstad (D-Kenosha), whose Wisconsin Assembly district includes the Snap-on facility.

Ohnstad said Sunday he's heard that Snap-on employees have been notified of the planned presidential visit.

Also, on Saturday, several military helicopters were seen flying over Kenosha, with some landing at the Snap-on headquarters, 2801 80th St., Ohnstad said.

The White House confirmed that the president will pay a visit. Snap-on representatives did not respond to requests for more information.

Snap-on makes tools and automotive diagnostics equipment.

It no longer has manufacturing operations in Kenosha, but its headquarters has engineers, technicians and other office employees, Ohnstad said. The company, which has annual revenue of $3.4 billion, also operates a distribution center in Kenosha.

Ohnstad said he doesn't know why Trump is planning to visit Snap-on, which is in the Congressional district of House Speaker Paul Ryan.

In a February interview with Bloomberg, Nick Pinchuk, Snap-on chief executive officer, president and chair, praised Trump for meeting with business executives shortly after his inauguration.

Pinchuk also said he was seeing more confidence from small business owners, including the auto repair shops that buy Snap-on tools.

"Our view is confidence is everything," Pinchuk said.

He also talked about the need for more worker training, and more respect for blue-collar workers, such as auto mechanics.

"The president, with his bully pulpit, can change it," Pinchuk said.

Pinchuk demurred when asked about the proposed border adjustment tax.

That tax, which would be applied to imported products, has been supported by Congressional Republicans and some U.S. manufacturers.

But it's opposed by retailers, such as Menomonee Falls-based Kohl's Corp., which say the tax would raise the cost of items they sell.

"We are not worried about the border adjustment tax, because we import about as much as we export," Pinchuk said.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence last visited Wisconsin in mid-December when they spoke at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center, in West Allis, as part of their "Thank You Tour."

The president had planned to visit Harley-Davidson Inc.'s factory in Menomonee Falls in February, but the trip was canceled at the last minute because of concerns over protests there.

Trump won Wisconsin by 22,000 votes in November, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to take the state since 1984.

The Associated Press and Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.