President Biden on Tuesday took aim at former President Donald Trump, who is likely to be his presidential nominee in November, criticizing the former president’s economic record and potential second-term bid in a New York City court.
Speaking in his former hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mr. Biden argued that Mr. Trump’s economic vision overwhelmingly favors the wealthiest Americans and big corporations.
“When I look at the economy, I don’t look at it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago. I look at it through the eyes of Scranton, and that’s not an exaggeration. That’s a fact,” Biden told supporters. told. “Where integrity and civility matter. Where faith matters. There, family is everything.”
Biden’s event was the first of a three-day close race in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state where Biden won by about 80,000 votes in 2020. He also plans to visit Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Thursday.
While Biden travels through the Keystone State, Trump is scheduled to go on trial for allegedly paying hush money to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign. The trial begins this week, and Trump is expected to be in court four days a week for several weeks.
Trump complained earlier Tuesday that the court case was keeping him from campaigning.
“I’d be campaigning right now in Pennsylvania, Florida, a lot of other states, North Carolina, Georgia,” Trump told reporters, adding that President Biden would be on the campaign trail in his own case. He claimed without evidence that he was responsible.
During his speech on Tuesday, Biden made no mention of his opponent’s legal troubles, other than repeating a line that poked fun at the former president’s high legal costs. Instead, Mr. Biden sought to draw a contrast between his own economic performance and Mr. Trump’s plans for a second term.
“Folks, trickle-down economics has failed the middle class. America has failed,” he said. “And the truth is, Donald Trump embodies that failure. He wants to step up the trickle-down.”
Biden also reiterated the main pillars of his economic policy. He called for higher taxes on billionaires and vowed not to raise taxes on Americans making less than $400,000 a year. And Biden touted his efforts to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and reduce prescription drug costs.
Trump’s proposals for a second term include imposing tariffs on all imports that some experts warn could worsen inflation, as well as reciprocal tariffs for countries that impose tariffs on U.S. goods. It is included.
President Trump and the Republican Party have also indicated they intend to move toward making tax cuts passed during his first term permanent. And the former president said he would consider increasing U.S. drilling despite slumping oil production. historic high Under Biden.
The economy is an area where Mr. Biden has at times struggled to get voters to understand his policies.
New York Times/Siena College The poll was released last Saturday Biden’s handling of the economy remains a potential issue heading into November, even as it turns out that Biden has all but erased Trump’s lead among registered voters nationwide.
The poll found that 64% of voters approved of Trump’s handling of the economy during his first term, compared to 63% who disapproved of Biden’s handling of the economy. The poll found that 85% of young voters say the economy is poor or fair.
Inflation has been a particularly persistent issue for Mr. Biden, even as unemployment remains low and consumer confidence has rebounded from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a commonly used measure of inflation, rose 0.4% last month, or 3.5% annually, roughly in line with economists’ expectations. Inflation has eased significantly since reaching a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022, but the Federal Reserve has been hesitant to declare victory or start cutting rates.
“As Joe Biden visits the Keystone State today, Pennsylvanians are suffering because of Bidennomics,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. “Pennsylvania families are struggling with historic inflation, unaffordable gas prices, and record high housing costs.”
He added, “It’s no wonder Pennsylvanians are voting to make America affordable again and elect President Trump in November.”
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