U.S. President Joe Biden waves as he departs from Delaware Air National Guard Base in Recent Castle, Delaware, en path to Joint Base Andrews, Aug. 7, 2023.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Buoyed by an economy that’s doing much better than the White House expected and a political opponent mired in dozens of indictments, President Joe Biden will hit the road Monday for a rare trip to a state that played a critical role within the 2020 election.
His first stop Tuesday will probably be within the battleground state of Arizona, underscoring the importance of voters who helped him edge out former president Donald Trump in 2020 by over 10,000 votes for all the state’s 11 electoral ballots.
“What I’m most enthusiastic about is persons are beginning to feel a way of optimism as they see the impact of the achievements in their very own lives,” Biden said when he last visited Arizona in December. “It may speed up within the months ahead and it’s a part of a broad story concerning the economy we’re constructing that works for everybody.”
Tuesday’s visit is geared toward telling this story and comes on the tail of the most well liked month ever recorded, with temperatures in Phoenix reaching 110 degrees for 31 days straight.
The president is predicted to debate climate provisions within the Inflation Reduction Act, the most important response by the federal government to handle rising temperatures and increase clean energy projects.
On Wednesday, Biden will visit Recent Mexico before heading north to Utah on Thursday for the anniversary of the PACT Act, which expanded veterans’ advantages a yr ago.
So far, Arizona has received $5 billion in public infrastructure investments since Biden took office. Recent Mexico has received $3.6 billion and Utah has received $2.5 billion, in accordance with White House data.
The messaging opportunity for Biden comes on the tail of positive economic signals. Last week’s cooling jobs report indicated a soft landing could also be on the horizon with Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su telling CNBC, “That is an example of what slow and regular growth looks like.”
Second-quarter GDP grew at a 2.4% annualized rate, beating expectations. All three states have unemployment levels at or below the national average of three.5%.
Biden’s trip is a component of an even bigger White House push, with senior officials and cabinet members making similar stops across the country.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, VA Secretary Denis McDonough and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona will all be on the road from Wyoming to Pennsylvania.