Trump says 'Milwaukee was beautiful' following the RNC, refers to Giannis Antetokounmpo as 'The Greek'

Former President Donald Trump made public remarks about his time spent in Wisconsin, following the Republican National Convention held last week in Milwaukee.

Speaking at a rally Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump said, "The stadium was beautiful. Milwaukee was beautiful."

The 45th president accepted the Republican nomination at Fiserv Forum last Thursday. He spent a considerable amount of time at the arena, appearing all four nights, and he had brief comments on one of the occupants — the Milwaukee Bucks.

"Milwaukee was great," Trump said. "They did a great job. The stadium is new. They built it for the basketball team, which is excellent. You know 'The Greek,' right? 'The Greek.'"

Trump was referring to Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was born in Athens, Greece, to Nigerian parents. The two-time MVP led the Greek national team to Olympics in Paris. He'll be a part of the opening ceremonies on Friday as he was chosen by his fellow athletes as a flag bearer .

"He's a good player," Trump said.

Trump has previously praised Milwaukee at his rallies since the convention ended, including one in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The remarks are in contrast with his comment in June in which he referred to Milwaukee as a "horrible city."

At his rally, Trump went on the say the convention was the greatest convention in the history of conventions. "We had a convention that broke all television ratings," he said.

According to Nielsen , Trump's Thursday speech, his first public remarks since he was shot in Pennsylvania, drew a bigger audience than his 2020 RNC speech, but less than his 2016 speech. Viewership on Thursday peaked at 28.4 million during the time that he recounted the assassination attempt. On average, the majority of viewers across all four nights were over 55 years old.

"It was just a flawless convention," Trump said. "It was great."

"Wisconsin's promised they're all gonna vote for me now 'cause we put $250 million into their economy. We're gonna win the great state of Wisconsin."

The Republicans estimated a $200 million economic impact prior to the convention. It will take months to know the impact. Many bars and restaurants across downtown Milwaukee reported slow business at the start of the RNC, but Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he expected business to pick up in the later days as Trump's speech loomed.

The Democrats will hold their convention in less than a month in Chicago. President Joe Biden withdrew from the race on Saturday and backed Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination. Soon, Harris secured the Democratic nomination after receiving enough support from delegates across the U.S., including nearly all of Wisconsin's .

She is expected to name a running mate in the coming days and will formally accept the nomination on Aug. 22.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump says 'Milwaukee was beautiful' following the RNC, refers to Giannis Antetokounmpo as 'The Greek'