Democrats in Wisconsin faced backlash after a volunteer distributed bracelets reading “Is he dead yet?”—a reference to President Trump—at a farmers market, including a young child’s wrist.
The Winnebago County Democratic Party has decided to cease its participation at the Oshkosh Farmers Market following a surge of inflammatory remarks targeting Trump and his supporters since the GOP returned to the presidency earlier this year.
This latest incident involved a volunteer giving the controversial bracelet to an 8-year-old, who then presented it to their mother on Sunday. This was reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The child’s mother, Katy Neubauer, was shocked by the bracelet and promptly placed it back in the basket at the party’s table, which contained additional anti-Trump materials, according to the report.
“This is hate speech. It literally wishes for someone’s death, which is unacceptable under any circumstances,” the outraged mother expressed to Fox 11 News.
According to Oshkosh Farmers Market manager Michelle Schmid-Schultz, it was the local Democratic committee responsible for distributing the bracelets, which garnered around ten complaints from attendees and violated market policies.
Schmid-Schultz stated that local party representatives and the market agreed that the Winnebago Democrats will not return for the remaining two markets of the summer season.
The “Is he dead yet?” bracelet also sparked outrage among Republicans statewide.
“Last month, Charlie Kirk fell victim to political violence, and it is disgraceful for a Wisconsin Democratic County Party to perpetuate hate and incite additional violence,” said Rep. Tom Tiffany, a candidate for governor of Wisconsin, in a statement, according to WisPolitics.
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“Wisconsin deserves better than this. I urge the Wisconsin Democratic Party to revoke the membership of the individual responsible and ensure this person is barred from future events.”
However, the state Democratic committee was quick to denounce the bracelets.
“The materials distributed by a volunteer without the Party’s approval do not reflect our values, and we are sorry this incident occurred,” said Philip Shulman, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, in a statement to the Journal Sentinel.
The local party has not yet responded to an email requesting comment on Wednesday.
