WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump has canceled a scheduled trip to Wisconsin out of concern that his presence would be the target of protesters angered by his immigration order barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
The cancellation, in just the second week of Trump's tenure, underscored the torrent of opposition that has already greeted his presidency, starting with a gathering of hundreds of thousands in Washington on the day after his inauguration, followed by two days of demonstrations against the executive order that bars entry to the United States of citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations.
An administration official told CNN that the plans were canceled after the Harley-Davidson factory in Milwaukee, which Trump was scheduled to visit, grew uncomfortable with the threat of protests. Nearly 1,300 people said they planned to attend the protest and another 4,600 had said they were interested, according to the Facebook page of the Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump.
The Democratic National Committee used the cancellation to slam Trump. "Donald Trump is a real tough guy when it comes to locking up a scared 5-year-old boy trying to find his mother," said DNC senior adviser Zac Petkanas. "But as soon as he has to face the American people to defend his illegal anti-Muslim ban he chickens out. What a profile in courage."
Presidents have canceled trips for weather and after tragic events, but a cancellation for fear of protests is rare.
