Written by Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden will visit the political battleground state of Wisconsin on Wednesday to help Microsoft build a $3.3 billion high-tech data center that will create thousands of jobs, the White House said. The company plans to announce its plans.
Microsoft's facility in southeastern Wisconsin's Racine County is owned by Taiwanese electronics maker Foxconn, which former President Donald Trump once called the “eighth wonder of the world” before Foxconn made a major exit. It will be built on the same land where a $10 billion factory was planned. Plans were scaled back.
The White House says Microsoft's plan will add 2,300 construction union jobs and about 2,000 permanent jobs over the long term. According to the report, Racine has added about 4,000 jobs since Biden took office, but lost about 1,000 manufacturing jobs under Trump.
Microsoft is partnering with Gateway Technical College to train 1,000 people for data center and other roles by 2030 and train 1,000 business leaders to implement AI in their operations, White said. House added.
“Taken together, these investments will position the industrial hub to lead the industry of the future,” the report said.
Democrat Biden also used his fourth visit this year to visit Wisconsin, one of seven battleground states critical to his 2024 reelection bid, to meet with volunteers from Racine's Black community. He will meet with volunteers from Racine's black community, his campaign said in a separate statement.
Mr. Biden is seeking to shore up support among black voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, with national polls showing him nearly neck and neck in a rematch with Mr. Trump. He is a Republican running for the White House for the third time after losing to Biden in 2020.
Representatives from the Trump campaign were not immediately available for comment. President Trump and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker grabbed golden shovels at a groundbreaking ceremony for the factory site in 2018, as politicians promised to build a new “Wiscon Valley” technology hub in the United States. .
Biden will meet with volunteers who are being trained by campaign officials to use a new mobile phone app that will help voters connect with people they already know and increase their votes.
His campaign is also launching a $14 million advertising campaign that includes a seven-figure investment targeting Black, Latino and Asian voters. On Thursday, it plans to release an ad called “Terminate,” which focuses on President Trump's attacks on Americans' health care.
The Biden campaign this month plans to expand its operations to 200 offices and 500 employees by the end of May, increasing support for small businesses as part of a further expansion in key communities. He said it was a plan.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Nandita Bose and Susan Heavey; Editing by Leslie Adler, Heather Timmons and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)