'No we don't' want Trump holding a rally in our city right now: Wisconsin mayor

La Crosse, Wisconsin Mayor Tim Kabat told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on Thursday that he does not want President Donald Trump to hold a rally that's planned to take place in his city on Saturday.

At the start of the interview, Camerota asked Kabat point blank whether he wanted the president in his city over the weekend.

"No we don't," he replied. "We're hoping to get this event either canceled or postponed to another time, based on what we're experiencing right now."

Trump's decision to hold a rally in Wisconsin at the moment is coming under criticism because the state is seeing a major spike in COVID-19 cases. Data from the New York Times show that COVID cases in Wisconsin have surged by 71 percent in the last two weeks, while deaths from the disease have increased by more than 50 percent.

When Camerota asked Kabat why the president was ignoring the pleas of local health officials, he expressed bewilderment.

"I do not understand," he said. "I think that's, you know, something that we expect out of our leaders is to really lead by example. And in this case, obviously, it's 'Do as I say, not as I do,' and coming out of the his own task force and talking about trying to again keep people safe."

Watch the video below.