For Milwaukee, the R.N.C. Is an Unloved Houseguest

Good evening. Tonight, my colleague Julie Bosman — a Wisconsin native — is covering the uneasy relationship between Milwaukee and the Republican National Convention. And, as the convention turns its focus to immigration tonight, we’re also covering the conspiracy theories percolating here. — Jess Bidgood

On the wall of an old brick building near downtown Milwaukee, someone had hung up a few movie posters for “Reagan,” perhaps hoping that its crinkly, cowboy hat-wearing star, Dennis Quaid, would catch the eye of a passing delegate to the Republican National Convention.

Papered over a poster was a homemade sign: “Welcome G.O.P. to Milwaukee,” it said. “A Socialist city!”

This week, Milwaukee is trying to play two roles: gracious host, but also political opponent.

Tens of thousands of Republicans are gathering each day to nominate and celebrate former President Donald J. Trump in Milwaukee, but outside the heavily armored security perimeter, an uneasy relationship between the city and this convention has intensified.

Yes, as many Milwaukeeans will proudly remind you, this city elected three Socialist mayors, who held office for almost 40 years between 1910 and 1960. Its roots as a labor town — a core value of the Democratic Party — run deep. Cavalier Johnson, the recently re-elected mayor of Milwaukee, is a Democrat. And in 2020, Milwaukeeans voted overwhelmingly for President Biden, helping to nudge Wisconsin — perhaps the swingiest of all the swing states — back into the blue column.

Milwaukee, a city where nearly 40 percent of the population is Black, is often vilified by Republicans elsewhere in the predominantly white state. Trump and his allies claimed without evidence that in 2020 the city was the site of widespread