President Biden makes Chicago stop, with protests and travel impacts expected

President Joe Biden made another visit to Wisconsin on Wednesday as he looks to shore up support in the battleground state, and he followed up that appearance with a trip to Chicago.

According to Chicago Ald. Bill Conway, the area around Wabash and Monroe will see rolling street closures in conjunction with the president’s visit to the city, and residents are being asked to allow for extra time to travel through the Loop this afternoon and into the evening.

The president’s motorcade also typically requires trains on the Metra Electric Line to pause operations, which could delay the evening commute for some riders.

Prior to the fundraiser Biden is scheduled to attend in the Loop, he visited Racine, highlighting a new Microsoft venture that is expected to employ more than 2,000 individuals in a corridor between Milwaukee and Chicago.

Biden’s appearances also sparked a planned protest in the Loop against his actions in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, with some traffic impacts also expected in the afternoon hours.

Wisconsin and the upper Midwest are seen as critical to Biden’s hopes for reelection, as he won both Wisconsin and Michigan in the 2020 election. Wednesday’s visit marked the fourth time Biden has appeared in Wisconsin this year alone.  

Former President Donald Trump, who met with donors in Florida on Wednesday, won Wisconsin in 2016 en route to beating Hillary Clinton in that election.