Q&A: Hilario Deleon, chairman of the Republican Party of Milwaukee County
"I think on Thursday, what we're going to see is a very different version of President Trump that not everyone gets to see."
The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. Learn more about it here.
On Tuesday afternoon, I ran into Hilario Deleon in the Deer District outside of Fiserv Forum at the Republican National Convention. We talked for a few minutes, and here’s that conversation.
Q: How has your experience been at the convention so far, and what have you heard about other people’s experiences here in Milwaukee?
A: It’s a once in a lifetime experience. I'm so grateful. All the delegates that I keep talking to from the different states and the six territories, they're really enjoying their time here. They love the atmosphere here in Milwaukee. Actually, they love the architecture. Milwaukee's got some of the best architecture in the world, or at least in the country. The energy here is electrifying. I'm exhausted, but I'm just built back up by the positivity, the unity that's here, people meeting each other, seeing friends that they haven't seen in years. There's nothing quite like it.
And yesterday's energy at the Fiserv when President Trump came in, it was very emotional for a lot of people. I was moved, very moved by it. I was wiping tears. People thought he was going to speak, but he didn't even have to speak. Just him being there and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA,” was just the vibe in itself.
Q: I was in the building for that. It was quite the moment.
A: It was quite the moment indeed. And the RNC has done a phenomenal job in terms of just the setup, the layout, etc. I appreciate the amount of law enforcement that has been here keeping everyone safe and (I’ve been) thanking them for their service, different law enforcement from across the country, and even seeing a lot of Milwaukee guys here and thanking them for being here. And you never know who you're gonna run into here — congressmen and women, you’ve got the Trump family walking around, Dr. Ben Carson, Lee Greenwood. You never know you're gonna run into so just being able to welcome those people here, it's a great honor as chairman.
Q: One of the speeches last night that really stood out to me was the final speech of the night from the president of the Teamsters.
A: I loved his speech.
Q: I was just curious about your reaction on that because it seemed like the type of speech that maybe in years past would have been the type of speech at a Democratic Convention.
A: The Republican Party is becoming, once again, the party of the big tent. I think that having the president of the Teamsters come and actually speak was, you know, he even said we don't agree on everything, which is true. Not everyone in this country is going to agree on every single thing that goes on.
Q: You think about Wisconsin politics these last few years and Republicans’ approach to unions, right?
A: There's a lot of things that even here locally, that Republicans and Democrats have to sit down and try and talk over. Again, we may not agree on everything, but as long as we have civil discussions and we can try and find some sort of plan, you know, that's what I'm trying to do. Being chairman of a county party in a blue city is not easy, but Milwaukee has been a Democrat city for over 100 years. But I always try to have a good relationship with Mayor Johnson and others because they are the leaders in charge right now and I want to make sure that certain issues — whether it's crime, education, even if things are going on with unions or jobs, making sure that we get big events like the RNC coming to Milwaukee — I want to make sure Milwaukee is doing great.
And so I think that's what the message really rang home yesterday, having the president of the Teamsters there saying, look, President Trump is a fighter. He's willing to sit down and talk with anyone and everyone. He has an open door, in a sense, from his own personal experience of interacting with President Trump. And so I think we're seeing this growth.
Republicans have to do a lot more listening sometimes. I go out to the community and I try to listen to as many people as possible and ask them — I don't always push party politics on them, I just ask them — what do you think about what's going on? What are some things that we can try and do? A lot of times, people ask me, “What are Republicans going to do for us?” I ask them back, “Well, what do you want us to do for you?” So those are important things that I think a lot of the people I've been around for a long time are starting to recognize, and now we're starting to see a whole new generation of leaders like myself and Gen Z come into this movement and really kind of bridge that gap that's been there for a long time.
Q: Have there been any other speeches or events or anything you've attended over the course of the week that's really stood out to you?
A: I've been doing mostly a lot of media, so, a lot of questions. What stands out to me is the amount of media that is here, across the world. Same thing you with law enforcement, you can't turn your head without running into someone who's a journalist or part of a network or you see TV cameras. And it's truly fascinating to see that. The eyes of the world are truly on Milwaukee. The eyes of the world are truly on Wisconsin. What happens here will determine the fate of this republic. And if people like us here in Milwaukee increase our voter percentage, president Trump will win the state, and so it's going to be interesting to see what the election cycle looks like as we get closer and closer to November and even after the election.
What really stands out is being able to see all the happy faces just enjoying Milwaukee's atmosphere and some of the real big names that are within the movement just really enjoying their time.
Q: That's good to hear. Looking ahead to November, do you think that you know younger voters, Hispanic voters, Black voters in Milwaukee will turn out more for Donald Trump than they have in the past?
A: I think they will. I don't know what that number will look like. With the efforts that we're making within the Republican Party in Milwaukee County, any time that I'm out there trying to talk with people, I see more and more people saying that, yes, they're looking towards president Trump. They're going to listen to what he has to say, or they're considering him, or they're outright voting for him. So again, I don't know what that number looks like, but I think we'll see an increase in support from past elections, and I welcome all those people to the movement. I welcome all the people from the party, and I want them to know that anyone that really wants to get the country moving back in the right direction, or just wants to make our country better in any form, they have a seat at the table with us, and we're willing to work with them.
Q: Do you think that shift that you've been talking about is specific to wanting to vote for Donald Trump, or do you think that will carry for Eric Hovde, for legislative candidates, etc.?
A: I would hope that you know people who vote for President Trump, you know, or that increased support for President Trump would want to have an increase or support for up and down the ticket. I know Eric Hovde has been getting out into the community, trying to make inroads as well, along with us, and I think he's been doing a pretty good job. It's very interesting to see someone like Tammy Baldwin, in terms of polling. You know, she's a household name. She's not above 50% in a lot of the polls. So, I don't know how that's gonna look for Eric's race. We're gonna do everything we can to help him get across the finish line, but anything's possible.
Q: Any other big picture thoughts on the convention and it being here in Milwaukee?
A: I think on Thursday, what we're going to see is a very different version of President Trump that not everyone gets to see. I think a lot of what we're going to see is a version that people within the movement (have seen). From someone like me, I've been a supporter since he came down the escalator, and I’ve seen and listened to a lot of the words that he’s said. And I think we're going to see a very unifying speech come out of this convention. He said that he got rid of his old speech and he's going to have a whole new speech. And that, especially because of the shooting, I think it changed his perspective on a lot of things. I appreciated the fact that President Biden and President Trump took the time to talk with one another on the phone, and I hope that they'll continue to work by trying to lower the tension. No one should have to be assaulted or almost killed for their beliefs. And that's not how politics should work in this country. And it's something that we're just gonna have to wait and see what happens on Thursday, but that is just my final thought on the overall convention.
Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 18 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.
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Is this guy for real? Is he aware of who's at the top of his party's ticket, and the crap that guy's been saying about anyone not in the rather small, narrowly defined tent of wealthy white Christian patriarchal straight people?
I guess I should not be surprised: Republican hypocrisy is part of the Big Lie strategy. They'll say anything, no matter how ridiculous, blatantly untrue, or clearly inconsistent with what they actually do...and they'll just keep saying it, until the cult of Trump manages to believe it must be true.
I mean, these billboards blaming Biden for gas prices, inflation, etc.: so now the party of the "free market" thinks presidents should intervene and institute price controls? Are they socialists now?
How anyone can believe this garbage is beyond me.