Jill Biden visits Festa Italiana, Milwaukee remarks don't address Trump
MILWAUKEE - First lady Jill Biden stopped in Milwaukee and spoke during Festa Italiana's opening ceremony on Friday night.
The first lady's remarks came a day after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his New York hush-money case – but she never addressed it at the festival grounds.
"It is an absolute honor to serve as the first Italian-American first lady," Biden said.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Not only is Biden the first Italian-American first lady, she became the first first lady to visit Festa Italiana. She bought a dozen chocolate cannoli and a dozen regular cannoli from two teens working at the festival.
"We were just standing here, and she just came over," said Bela Vella. "I think it’s pretty cool."
"She shook our hand," Madison Mitchell said. "It was shocking. I was not expecting that whatsoever. I’m still a little dumbfounded."
Jill Biden purchases cannoli at Festa Italiana
Most of Biden's speech was focused on her Italian heritage. She did have a few lines praising her husband.
"My husband, President Biden, is working to build on what this community has accomplished – and help us, and all communities," she said.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
It wasn't all warm welcomes for Biden, though. Protesters interrupted her, stopping her speech several times, critical of the president's support for Israel amid the war in Gaza.
"We can talk, you don’t have to shout at me," she said. "We only get things accomplished when we talk."
Friday was not the first time Festa Italiana hosted political leaders.
Protesters during Jill Biden's remarks at Festa Italiana
"We've had the governor here. We had George Bush here. We had Scott Walker when he was governor," said Sandy Winard with Festa Italiana. "It's huge. She's a Sicilian. Roots. Her grandfather was born in Sicily. My grandfather was born in Sicily. To have her want to join us, to reach out to us and say, 'Hey, I want to celebrate with you. I want to talk about what's important to Italian-Americans."
Some Italian-Americans said they were disappointed in having the first lady. Friday marked her second visit of the year to Wisconsin; she last stopped in both Waukesha and Milwaukee in March.
Festa Italiana runs through Sunday, June 2. This marks the festival's 44th year.
Reaction
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler
"It’s an honor to have Dr. Jill Biden—our country’s first Italian-American First Lady—back in Wisconsin to celebrate the diverse heritage of the Italian-Americans who call Wisconsin home. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is delighted to welcome Dr. Biden to Milwaukee to share in the celebrations at Festa Italiana today."