Joe Biden traveled to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday but did not get the reception he might have hoped for.
Photos of Biden's event appeared to show just a few dozen people in attendance for a campaign speech in which he unveiled plans to increase taxes on the super-rich.
Meanwhile, images from Trump's rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend showed thousands of people in attendance who had come to see the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Thousands showed up to hear President Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 16, 2024
Nobody cares about Biden in Pennsylvania today. pic.twitter.com/AdHqKsMzCr
According to CNN, which often operates as an unofficial mouthpiece of the White House, Biden was seeking to push his own version of "economic populism."
The outlet reported:
President Joe Biden is seeking to make a sharp economic argument against former President Donald Trump during a three-day swing through Pennsylvania with campaign officials framing the election as a debate between his “kitchen table” Scranton outlook and Trump’s “Mar-a-Lago vision.”
The trip, which kicked off Tuesday in Biden’s childhood hometown of Scranton, also will set up a stark split screen as the president is on the campaign trail while Trump spends most of the week in a New York City courtroom for his criminal trial.Biden’s speech on Tuesday centered heavily on economic populism as he sought to portray Trump as out of touch with Americans’ concerns - and himself as a folksy, scrappy kid from Scranton who holds the interests of the average American at heart.
During his speech, Biden sought to position himself as fighting for the little guy while portraying Trump as part of a wealthy Republican elite.
“When I look at the economy, I don’t see it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago. I see it through the eyes of Scranton, and that’s not hyperbole. That’s a fact,” Biden told supporters. “Where honesty and decency matters. Where faith matters. Where family is everything.”
Growing up in Scranton, this community taught me the values of family, honesty, hard work, and fighting for the little guy.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 16, 2024
I’ve never forgotten them. pic.twitter.com/PRLw3FI8sZ
“Folks, trickle-down economics failed the middle class. It failed America,” he continued. “And the truth is, Donald Trump embodies that failure. He wants to double down on trickle-down.”
At one point, Biden appeared to forget the name of the place where he was born.
Biden's brain malfunctions trying to remember the word "Scranton" pic.twitter.com/LiJV8unKHU
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 16, 2024
A Newsmax reporter also suggested that the press outnumbered the supporters who actually turned up to see the 81-year-old speak.
Biden set to speak in his hometown of Scranton PA this afternoon.
— Addison Smith (@AddisonSmithTV) April 16, 2024
The press line (left) is currently longer than the attendee line (right). pic.twitter.com/TU4DPF5wYc
As Trump fights his legal battles in New York, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement that Biden's plan for the economy was failing.
“As Joe Biden visits the Keystone State today, Pennsylvanians are struggling because of Bidenomics,” Whatley said. “Pennsylvania families are suffering from historic inflation, unaffordable gas prices, and record high housing costs. It’s no wonder why Pennsylvanians will vote to make America affordable again and elect President Trump in November."
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