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Biden stops in Wisconsin to promote AI – and troll Trump’s Foxconn failure
President Biden made a trip to the swing state of Wisconsin on Wednesday with two goals.
First, he was there to formally unveil a new $3.3 billion Microsoft investment in artificial intelligence in the state. But a clear second priority was to highlight the failure of one of Donald Trump’s biggest jobs promises during his time in office.
from Microsoft (MSFT) the next AI data center – as Biden has taken great pleasure in repeatedly pointing out – is being built on land that was freed up during the Trump administration for a planned $10 billion investment in Foxconn. The land was then abandoned when the Foxconn project was reduced a long time ago.
Trump talked a lot about infrastructure and jobs, but “he didn’t build anything,” Biden said as he took the stage Wednesday afternoon, adding: “Foxconn turned out to be just that, a scam.”
“Under my watch, we make promises and keep promises,” he added later, in case anyone missed the message.
President Joe Biden speaks about his Investing in America agenda at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, on May 8. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) (MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images)
Biden spoke at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, in the afternoon before heading to campaign events elsewhere in Wisconsin and Chicago.
Wednesday’s speech also offered some insights into Biden’s potential approach to the key issue of AI in the coming years.
“We’re going to build something special,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said before Biden took the stage.
He added what was perhaps a criticism of Foxconn, saying: “One thing I’ve always found so important about the work we’re doing here is underpromising, overdelivering and working with the community.”
Smith said Biden’s policies — notably the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the CHIPs and Science Act — helped make the company’s investment in Wisconsin possible.
Microsoft promises to create a variety of jobs across the state and also train 100,000 Wisconsin residents for future AI jobs as part of its overall efforts.
The land for the data center is available because it was initially released and reserved for Foxconn.
Trump traveled to the region in 2018. “This is just the beginning,” he said said in that speechcalling the plant “the Eighth Wonder of the World”.
But it wasn’t to be, with Foxconn downsizing drastically in the years that followed. It is still present in the state, but is now expected to spend just US$672 million in the region by 2026.
Then-President Donald Trump, center, with former Foxconn president Terry Gou and others, at the opening of a Foxconn factory in 2018. The project was eventually scaled back. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) (Chicago Tribune via Getty Images)
Biden seized on the contrast – and echoed Trump’s comments – in a message he will likely return to frequently between now and November to argue that his approach to the economy is better than Trump’s, even as polls show voters are more inclined for the former president. .
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A Yahoo News/YouGov poll last month found Biden with just 37% approval on the economy, largely in line with other research throughout 2024.
What Biden and his allies hope is that examples like the Foxconn and Microsoft contrast can change some perceptions about how much Biden has helped local communities, especially in swing states.
“My Investing in America agenda is fueling a historic boom,” Biden said Wednesday, saying the investment would be transformative for Wisconsin.
“Today is another example of optimism from the private sector,” he added.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley responded to Biden’s stop on Yahoo Finance, charging that “Joe Biden is trying to save face in Racine County while Wisconsinites feel the pain of Bidenomics,” adding that other factors , such as rising prices and struggling farmers, are evidence that “his policies have failed and people want President Trump back in office.”
A still-in-progress response to AI
The focus on AI also comes at a time when President Biden and other Washington policymakers continue to struggle with their response to the rapidly evolving technology.
A White House executive order on AI last year It was Biden’s most concrete step on the issue so far.
It set the dual goal of implementing new safety standards to protect Americans from potential disadvantages while also trying to maximize the economic benefits of technology.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill also convened a series of listening sessions called AI Insight Forums last year as they discussed the legislation. In one of these sessions, Tesla (TSLA)CEOElon Musk suggested that action was neededeven “maybe an AI Department.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hosted those listening sessions and also visited an exhibit on artificial intelligence this week in between votes on Capitol Hill.
He took time Wednesday to share the news from Wisconsin, saying Microsoft’s investment “will create thousands of new, high-paying jobs and help America maintain a competitive advantage in AI.”
This post has been updated.
Ben Werschkul is the Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.
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