At the Wisconsin State Fair, GOP governor candidate talks tariffs, climate change, his SEAL training

WEST ALLIS – Republican candidate for governor Bill Berrien worked the crowd at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center on August 6 — and packed his day with reporter interviews.

In a sit-down talk with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Berrien repeatedly praised President Donald Trump and his policies — including tariffs — and said that as governor he would help implement Trump’s “America First” strategy.

“I really see the opportunity for Wisconsin to be a shining example of the success of his policies,” Berrien said.

Berrien, a Navy SEAL veteran and manufacturing CEO from Whitefish Bay, joined Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann in the 2026 Republican primary field for governor in early July. On the campaign trail, Berrien, the CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision in New Berlin, has stressed his business ties and drawn parallels between himself and Trump.

Here are some takeaways from his interview with the Journal Sentinel:

High praise for Trump’s tariffs while distancing himself from past comments about the issue

Berrien had nothing but praise for Trump’s tariff policies. That’s a sharp difference from five years ago, when he told Fox Business that “tariffs have both hurt us and they’ve helped us.”

He said he had no concerns about the way Trump has implemented tariffs.

“You gotta give these things time and trust in that process of changing the decision-making around business investment,” he said.

He also said he wanted to “correct the record” about previous comments that seemed to indicate he supported state-level tariffs. Asked by a WMTV reporter in late July about whether he wanted to put “a tariff on corn from Iowa,” Berrien said, “Look, you know, the benefit to Wisconsin would be businesses investing here to make product here.”

When asked about the idea of putting tariffs on products from other states, Berrien told the Journal Sentinel, “I don’t know where that, state tariffs, came from.”

“I mean, no tariffs state-to-state,” he said. “Violation of the Interstate Commerce Clause.”

Philip Shulman, spokesman for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, responded: “Bill Berrien is so obsessed with trying to win Trump‘s love that he’ll support any policy — including wanting to increase the GOP’s Tariff Tax. And after today’s flip-flop it’s clear he’ll say whatever he thinks will help him win, not what will actually help working Wisconsinites.”

Climate change caused by human activities, other factors

When asked about Canadian wildfire smoke that has been clouding Wisconsin skies in recent days, Berrien said he wasn’t sure to what extent climate change was a factor — or what could be done to fix the problem.

“You know, I just haven’t looked at the root causes enough,” he said. “I know that the DNR is sending up some firefighters. But it’s certainly challenging.”

More: Wisconsin state lawmaker files formal complaint over Canadian wildfire smoke

When pressed about the issue, he said human activities are one of the causes of climate change.

“I think it’s definitely a combination of factors,” Berrien said. “But, you know, people are going to be one of those factors.”

His comments set him apart from many Republicans who either deny climate change is occurring or refuse to address the issue.

Campaign contributions from the Winkelvoss twins

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, founders of cryptocurrency company Gemini who are known for their legal dispute with Mark Zuckerberg over the creation of Facebook, have donated $1 million to support Berrien. The twins each donated $500,000 to Berrien’s PAC that he launched earlier this year.

Asked about how he got them to contribute, he said, “I’ve known them for about 30 years… just through their parents.”

Berrien added that he’s had conversations with them about bringing more “hard tech” to Wisconsin.

SEAL training and the governor’s race

During his interview, Berrien noted that 80% of people going through Navy SEAL training do not complete it. He said he was applying two rules that helped him get through his training to the governor’s race.

“Number one, make it to the next meal. Number two, you basically have to say you’re going to drag my cold, wet, dead body out of this surf zone,” he said. “And I’m applying the same mentality to this race.”

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin governor hopeful Bill Berrien talks tariffs, climate change