MILWAUKEE — Governor Tony Evers is leading a Wisconsin trade delegation in Europe, just as news of the President Trump’s tariffs plunged the global markets into a deep dive.
“We were here before the tariffs were announced and now we’re here after the tariffs have been announced, ” said Secretary and CEO of Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Missy Hughes. She spoke with WTMJ’s Wisconsin’s Morning News while enroute from Germany to France.
Secretary Hughes detailed many positive meetings between State business leaders and their European counterparts, however she noted the tariff announcement changed the tenor of partnership conversations.
“I do feel that it’s really had a chilling effect,” Huges told WTMJ. “It’s not only the tariffs. It’s fear that the tariffs might lead us into a recession, and so investment all of a sudden becomes riskier, and folks are saying, ‘we’re going to wait and see what happens,’ before they make decisions, especially about investing in the United States.”
Governor Evers’ Office says Germany is a particularly important trading partner for Wisconsin, as businesses here exported nearly $1 billion dollars in goods to Germany in 2023 alone.
Secretary Hughes said the trip has still been valuable, as connecting with those trading partners is important. She did admit, “It has been a lot of confusion, honestly a lot of disappointment. We have been friends with our European allies for many, many years, and they’re very confused about what is happening and they’re upset.”
The delegation is set to return to Wisconsin on Wednesday.
