A trip to Chicago for a fundraiser with wealthy donors for President Joe Biden spurred protests that snarled rush hour traffic in the Loop Wednesday afternoon.
Biden’s visit followed an appearance at an event at Microsoft facility in Racine, Wisconsin, as the president aims to build up enthusiasm in the battleground state that he narrowly won in 2020, four years after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by a small margin in the state.
A group of protesters led by the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine gathered in the Loop voicing displeasure over Biden’s visit, calling on the president to halt all U.S. aid to Israel amid the seven-month old Israel-Hamas war.
The calls come as President Biden said in an interview Wednesday that he would not supply Israel with weapons to be used in an offensive in Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where over 1 million civilians are sheltering.
Biden added that the U.S. remained “committed to Israel’s defense” and would continue to supply Iron Dome rocket interceptors and other defensive arms.
The president arrived at O’Hare International Airport on Air Force One from Wisconsin and later took Marine One to Soldier Field, where he was greeted by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
As for the fundraiser itself, Biden met with approximately 60 “megadonors” during the downtown Chicago stop, raising a reported $2 million for his reelection campaign.
During his Wisconsin visit, Biden attended an event in Racine, highlighting a new Microsoft venture that is expected to employ more than 2,000 people in a corridor between Milwaukee and Chicago.
In addition to protests, Biden’s motorcade left downtown traffic snarled for hours, with numerous road closures taking effect.
According to Total Traffic, Monroe Street was closed between State Street and Michigan Avenue, while Wabash was closed from Madison to Adams for the president’s visit.
The inbound Stevenson also saw solid traffic due to the closure from the president’s motorcade.
Several CTA stops in the Loop were also bypassed during the fundraiser.
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 was also busy on Wednesday, meeting with donors in Florida just over two months ahead of the Republican National Convention.