MILWAUKEE — Former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is back in Brew City after serving three years as U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg.
“You’ll note Luxembourg and the United States did not enter war against each other in the three years that I was there,” Barrett joked while joining Wisconsin’s Midday News.
In his first radio interview since returning, Barrett said the most substantive issue he worked on during his time in Europe focused on increasing defense spending.
“This goes to the whole issue of NATO and burden sharing and making the case that America was doing a lot. It was time for the European countries to do that. So that’s a message that has resonated, really, in America for well over 10 years under both Democratic and Republican presidents,” Barrett said.
Barrett was the mayor of Milwaukee for more than 17 years. He also served five terms in Congress. When asked whether he’ll run for office again now that he’s back home, he didn’t rule out the possibility.
“My wife would love for me to be retired. But as I say to her, in three weeks, you might be coming in with want ads because I’ll be driving you crazy by being around the house too much. So, I don’t know. And I am not being coy,” Barrett responded.
The 71-year-old says he’s relaxed right now, happy, and at peace. He also admitted he might get antsy.
“After almost 18 years as mayor, I felt I had enough juice in the tank to do something else. I still feel that way, but I don’t know. I don’t know in what context,” Barrett said.
The former mayor has four kids in four different time zones. He’s also a grandfather now. Barrett has personal things he wants to do, but he also loves the Milwaukee community and wants to be involved.
“So you’re not ruling out (a run for office),” Wisconsin’s Midday News co-host Jessica Tighe asked.
“I don’t rule anything out. I never rule anything out. I mean I joked with the people over there: I said, look from American standards, I’m too young to be president right now. Not that I’m making any moves to anything like that,” Barrett said.
You can hear Tom Barrett’s entire interview on Wisconsin’s Midday News podcast. He also discusses how Luxembourg compares to Milwaukee, how Europeans feel about the U.S. right now, and his feelings on the Milwaukee streetcar in 2025.
