Mayor of Green Bay pens open letter to Trump ahead of his visit: ‘We don’t endorse divisive bigoted rhetoric’

Green Bay, Wis., Mayor Eric Genrich (D) penned an open letter to President Trump warning him that the city does not “tolerate intolerance or willful ignorance” a day before his visit to the area on Thursday. 

“We are an increasingly diverse city with a vibrant immigrant heritage and culture and strong connections to the indigenous people who call our region home,” he wrote in the letter. “Our instinct toward hospitality, of course, extends to our president, but I want you to know that it has its limitations. We don’t tolerate intolerance or willful ignorance, and we won’t endorse or ignore divisive and bigoted rhetoric.”

The letter, which was dated Wednesday, comes a day before the president’s planned town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity in Green Bay.

Genrich wrote in the letter that he hopes the town hall will serve as “legitimate opportunity” for Trump to “listen and learn from all members of this community, including those who have been left out of your vision for America.

“The challenges we face as a community, state, and country are immense, and they have grown only more immediate with the spread of the coronavirus, the tragic deaths of nearly 125,000 Americans and the incredibly harmful impacts this virus has had on our economy,” he continued.

“In addition, we are all grappling with the need to combat racism and violence in all their forms. This moment calls for honest, empathetic, and courageous leadership, and I ask you to exemplify these qualities tomorrow and in the days ahead.”

Trump has continued to field criticism from Democratic and some Republican lawmakers over the past few months for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which the latest Johns Hopkins University data shows has led to the deaths of more than 121,000 people in the United States thus far.   

He has also weathered criticism from many over his response to the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other Black Americans amid continued protests against racism and police brutality in the nation.

In his letter to Trump on Wednesday, Genrich said that “Americans need a president who can speak directly about the dangers of COVID-19 and someone who will support the guidance of public health experts” and added that all citizens are “owed a president who feels the urgency to forthrightly combat systemic racism.”

“If you have the inclination to do any of these things, please know I will support your efforts, regardless of our very real political differences,” he added.