Bill Glauber, Jacob Carpenter, and Rick Barrett

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

KENOSHA - President Donald Trump came to Wisconsin Tuesday to talk manufacturing and sign a "Buy American, Hire American" executive order.

But he ended up making a dramatic intervention in the simmering trade dispute between Canada and the United States over milk.

"We’re going to stand up for our dairy farmers in Wisconsin," Trump told an audience gathered at tool manufacturer Snap-on Inc. "And I’ve been reading about it. And I’ve been talking about it for a long time. And that demands, really, immediately fair trade with all of our trading partners and that includes Canada. Because in Canada some very unfair things have happened to our dairy farmers and others."

Recently, Grassland Dairy Products of Greenwood notified about 75 Wisconsin farms that as of May 1, it is canceling their contracts because it has lost its Canadian business.

At issue are changes in Canadian policy that make it harder for U.S. dairy processors to sell ultra-filtered milk, used to make cheese, in Canada. Canadian officials have said they're not to blame. Instead, they fault the U.S. for producing too much milk in a global marketplace that is already flooded with the product.

Trump said he would start working on a solution with Gov. Scott Walker, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

"We're going to get together and we're going to call Canada," Trump said. "And we're going to say, 'What happened?' And they might give us an answer but we're going to get the solution, not just the answer."

Walker and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have urged Trump to address the issue, writing Tuesday: “Wisconsin and New York dairy farmers are only the first victims of Canada’s illicit dairy trade restrictions."

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Frank Behling, a dairy farmer from Randolph, said it was "good to hear" that Trump offered support.

"But I am not sure that it’s fast enough to really give anybody any relief from the current situation. I can only weather the storm for so long,” he said.

Some farmers suggested that if Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to buy large amounts of dairy products, it could help stimulate the market and, in turn, help the farmers.

“If USDA made purchases for summer food programs, things like that, it would be fantastic,” said Carrie Mess, a dairy farmer from Watertown.

The National Milk Producers Federation thanked Trump for speaking out on the issue. "Canada’s repeated disregard for its dairy trade commitments to the United States has left America dairy farmers enduring the severe and unfair consequences," the statement said.

The president of the Dairy Processors of Canada, Jacques Lefebvre, countered: “President Trump’s reaction is not surprising. He is defending his domestic dairy industry. We believe that further communications with the Canadian government will broaden his perspective on this issue. We are confident the Canadian government will stand by its dairy industry."

As he closes in on the first 100 days of his administration, Trump's "Buy American, Hire American" executive order was designed to fulfill his campaign promise to look out for American workers. The order seeks to clamp down on guest worker visas and require agencies to buy more goods and services from U.S. companies and workers. There will be no immediate changes. Instead, there will be a period of review.

But there was plenty of symbolism as Trump signed the order on a Snap-on rolling tool cabinet in an important swing state, with deep manufacturing roots.

"We’re going to defend our workers, protect our jobs and finally put America first," Trump said in a speech to Snap-on workers, college students and local politicians.

The importance of the trip for Trump was evident by those who accompanied him to Wisconsin. He brought along several of his top aides, including Reince Priebus, who grew up in Kenosha County, Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos were also in the audience.

It was a quick trip that began with a dramatic entrance. Air Force One landed at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport at 1:21 p.m. under cloudy skies. Trump emerged from the aircraft, pumped his fists, then walked across the tarmac to speak with assembled guests.

Trump and his entourage were then whisked via helicopter to Kenosha, where he toured the Snap-on facility before addressing the crowd from a stage where tools were displayed, including some that formed an American flag.

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Meanwhile, there was a sense of excitement even among those who couldn't get into the event but waited outside for a glimpse of Trump.

"I think he's trying very hard to do what he says he's going to do. He didn't even get the 100-day honeymoon," said Karen Gardella, 57, a Pleasant Prairie resident who dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that said, "Basket of Deplorables, Wisconsin Division."

Others joined a protest that was largely organized by Forward Kenosha, an organization aiming to bring grass-roots change after Trump's election. The county was once solidly Democratic, with former President Barack Obama winning by 12 percentage points in 2012, but Trump carried the county by three-tenths of a point last fall in winning Wisconsin over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

"People are realizing they need to be proactive and take more of a role in their government, and hopefully things will change for the better," said Gina Walkington, a co-founder of Forward Kenosha.

Trump's plans and pledges to boost the manufacturing sector in places like Kenosha were met with skepticism from Randy Bryce, a board member of Workers Local 8, which represents area construction workers.

"I didn't buy what he's selling then, and I'm not buying it now," Bryce said. "The place where he chose to speak once had a thriving manufacturing base right across the street. Those jobs have moved up the road, leaving just the headquarters in its place."

Bill Glauber and Jacob Carpenter reported from Kenosha and Rick Barrett from Appleton. Dave Umhoefer and Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this article.