Trump campaign/ Brett Favre welfare scandal/ Wisconsin election 2024/ TANF funds misuse/ Mississippi welfare scandal/ Newslooks/ WISCONSIN/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Donald Trump and retired NFL star Brett Favre will rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where the football icon’s past welfare scandal in Mississippi could add a complex layer to Trump’s campaign. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is also touring the state, emphasizing Wisconsin’s critical swing-state status with less than a week until Election Day.
Trump and Favre Wisconsin Rally: Quick Looks
- Event Details: Trump’s rally with Favre is in Green Bay at 7 p.m. following an earlier North Carolina event. Harris also has stops in Wisconsin.
- Favre’s Support: Longtime Trump supporter Favre has backed him through social media, posting criticisms of Harris and Democrat campaign approaches.
- Welfare Scandal Background: Favre’s entanglement in Mississippi’s welfare scandal involves repaid funds for speaking fees; however, he still owes interest.
- Scandal Impact: Allegations suggest funds were misdirected to support non-welfare purposes, sparking calls for TANF reform.
- Political Tension in Wisconsin: As a key battleground, Wisconsin’s tight margins make both Trump and Harris’s appearances critical for influencing last-minute voters.
Trump Campaigns with Brett Favre in Wisconsin Amid Scandal Ties
Deep Look
Former President Donald Trump and retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre will campaign together in Wisconsin on Wednesday, with plans to rally supporters in Green Bay. The event, scheduled for 7 p.m., will see Trump tap into Favre’s local popularity, as the former Green Bay Packers star remains a beloved figure in Wisconsin. Trump, who previously won Wisconsin in 2016 but lost the state to President Joe Biden in 2020, aims to leverage Favre’s connection to the community despite the recent controversy surrounding Favre’s alleged role in a high-profile Mississippi welfare scandal.
Favre, who served as quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and led them to a Super Bowl victory, remains one of the most famous athletes associated with the state, and his involvement with Trump’s campaign could provide a boost. Favre, who is 55, has shown consistent support for Trump, posting critiques of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her campaign on social media. Just this Monday, Favre took to X (formerly Twitter) to express frustration about what he perceives as rising divisiveness in American politics, writing, “In all the elections I’ve seen over my lifetime, I’ve never seen one where there was so much hate.”
However, Favre’s association with Trump is not without controversy, as he faces accusations related to Mississippi’s welfare misuse scandal. Though not criminally charged, Favre is one of over thirty individuals or entities named in a lawsuit from the state, seeking repayment of misappropriated funds intended to benefit the poorest residents under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Favre reportedly repaid approximately $1 million he received in fees for speaking engagements he did not attend but still owes the state nearly $730,000 in accrued interest.
The Mississippi welfare scandal has highlighted significant issues in the state’s distribution of federal aid. Reports indicate that between 2016 and 2019, millions of dollars intended for TANF recipients were redirected or misused, often to benefit well-connected individuals. Mississippi’s state auditor Shad White reported that the state’s Department of Human Services allowed TANF funds to flow toward projects and people outside the intended welfare recipients, including $1.1 million in two installments to Favre’s business, Favre Enterprises. These funds allegedly supported building a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi, Favre’s alma mater and the university where his daughter was a student-athlete.
The ongoing investigation into these misspent welfare funds has already resulted in guilty pleas from Nancy New and her son Zachary New, both of whom managed the nonprofit organization implicated in the misuse. In 2022, Nancy and Zachary New admitted to redirecting state funds away from welfare purposes and are now cooperating with the authorities to testify against other potential offenders.
During a September hearing with a Republican-led congressional committee, Favre shared a recent Parkinson’s diagnosis, adding a personal dimension to the scandal’s impact. This hearing also underscored a broader call among some House Republicans for increased oversight and reforms in TANF to prevent similar misuse in other states.
Meanwhile, the stakes in Wisconsin remain high, as both parties recognize the significance of the state in securing an Electoral College victory. Harris will also be campaigning in Wisconsin, focusing on Madison, as she travels from Pennsylvania and on to North Carolina, crisscrossing the state on the same day as Trump. With Wisconsin known for tight electoral margins—Trump won by just over 23,000 votes in 2016 and lost by 20,000 in 2020—both campaigns aim to make a strong final appeal to sway the undecided voters in the state.
