Biden mocks Trump’s infrastructure record as he goes on the offensive with Midwest swing

superior, wisconsin
CNN
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President Joe Biden provoked former President Donald Trump on Thursday during a visit to the battleground state of Wisconsin, announcing major infrastructure investments.

The trip comes as the president and his team launch an attack this week following improving consumer sentiment, a move that could ultimately lead to the president’s economic response in a rematch with Trump. His allies hope it will lead to an improvement in sentiment.

That push was on display Thursday at two events in the Midwest, starting with a trip to Superior, Wisconsin, where Biden will seize $1 billion in federal funding to replace aging bridges in battleground states. become.

In announcing funding for the aging Blatnik Bridge, which connects Wisconsin and Minnesota, Biden said the investment would “make a huge difference” to the daily lives of local residents. In making his case for the general election, Mr. Biden sought to draw a contrast with Mr. Trump.

“My predecessor took a different path with a trickle-down economic policy that cut taxes for the very rich and big corporations and significantly increased the budget deficit. That’s exactly what happened,” Biden said. He added that jobs have flown overseas under President Trump’s watch.

The events come as Mr. Biden prepares for a general election battle with Mr. Trump, whom the president believes has secured the Republican nomination with his victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday. In a statement after the primary, Biden cited the economy as one of the decisive issues in November, saying that “our economy, which has had the strongest recovery in the world since the coronavirus,” was “in crisis.” “This is one of the problems,” he said.

But so far, Biden’s efforts to sell the economy, including policy rollouts, travel to key states, and TV and online ad campaigns, have not resonated with voters, who say they support his approach. less than one-third of the time.

Mr. Biden’s allies are hopeful that the situation could change soon, especially as the public begins to feel more optimistic about the economic situation. The University of Michigan’s latest consumer survey showed sentiment improved significantly this month, rising 13% from December and reaching its highest level since July 2021.

Coupled with cooling inflation, rising wages and a robust labor market after coronavirus-era job losses, it’s a message the campaign is eager to promote.

“Voters will hear more and more about this economy as we approach November, through thousands of local organizers, ads and more,” Biden campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said in a statement. Ta. “It’s clear that many Americans are already starting to hear it. This week, the gold standard for measuring consumer attitudes is that Americans are more confident about the economy than they have been in years. I discovered.”

One thing Biden’s team believes will help focus the discussion is that the competition between the president and his predecessor will become clearer. They are taking advantage of President Trump’s recent statements predicting economic collapse, hoping it will happen on Biden’s watch, and are using President Trump’s employment record to compare to the president who was in office when the country went into the Great Depression. I’m trying to compare it to Herbert Hoover. .

Biden also hopes to benefit from support from the United Auto Workers union, which announced its support for the incumbent president on Wednesday. UAW President Sean Fein spoke harshly about Trump, who urged rank-and-file members to support Biden’s candidacy.

“Donald Trump is a scab,” Fein said. “Donald Trump is a billionaire and that’s what he represents. … Donald Trump stands against everything we stand for as a union and as a society.”

But it remains to be seen whether the campaign’s economic message will resonate with voters, especially as President Trump plans to make his economic case against Biden heading into November.

In addition to the $1 billion in funding to help repair bridges, Biden also announced funding for other infrastructure projects across the country, including the Interstate 5 bridge spanning the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. It also touted another $4 billion for. I-10 passes through the Gila River Indian Community and Pinal County in Arizona. His I-376 corridor in Pittsburgh. and the Cross Bronx Expressway in New York.

The visit was a new chance for Biden to confront President Trump with an issue he failed to accomplish during his time in office: passing an infrastructure bill.

“As I see it, America is having a decade of infrastructure instead of infrastructure week,” Biden said, mocking President Trump with a line he has repeated since the bill was passed.

The Biden campaign wants to criticize Republican lawmakers who touted the benefits of the infrastructure bill even though they voted against it. Among them was Minnesota Republican Rep. Pete Stover, who said it was a “huge win” for his district and “proud to champion these funds.”

From the White House to local officials, Democrats attacked in unison.

“This is too brazen to ignore. Mr. Stauber voted against every screw, steel beam, and concrete column on this bridge,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posted on X. Thank you, Joe! ”

Although there is no shovel in the ground yet, the Blatnik Bridge is expected to be built by Election Day, and Biden’s advisers hope it will serve as a tangible reminder to voters of his administration’s accomplishments. Behind the scenes, the president has expressed frustration that some of the projects he has been touting have been slow to materialize before voters’ eyes.

But as it looks for new ways to get the president’s message across, Biden’s team has tried several new tactics this year to make big changes to the economy. During a visit to Allentown, Pennsylvania, Biden skipped the traditional speech and instead went to local sporting goods stores and coffee shops to hear directly from the owners. In Raleigh, North Carolina, Biden huddled around the kitchen table with his family and listened to their concerns.

This is part of an effort dedicated to supporting ordinary Americans who can tell how they have personally benefited from the president’s policies. Mr. Biden’s advisers believe such messengers can help extend Mr. Biden’s record in a more personal way to voters.

Mr. Biden’s advisers and allies say many of these messages will take time to sink in, as Americans are still reeling from the pandemic’s fallout, even as the economy begins to show signs of positive signs. claims.

“I’m frustrated that the price of eggs is too high. And as wages rise faster than inflation throughout this year, people increasingly feel that the president’s job is getting the results they need in their lives.” You’re going to feel it,” said Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. “With the stock market at record highs, wages rising for working-class voters, and inflation falling faster than in other developed countries, we’ll have exactly the kind of economic situation you want by Election Day. It will be.”

But, he acknowledged, “before those things really sink in with voters, the frustration remains. So this campaign is a journey to a destination the moment the polls close.”

Much of the work to sway voters will be on the ground in key battleground states this year. And the Biden team is already predicting plans for frequent deployments to battleground states. Vice President Kamala Harris began her reproductive freedom tour in Waukesha County this week ahead of Biden’s visit.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is scheduled to appear in Milwaukee on Friday as she seeks to ramp up domestic travel this year to tout the president’s accomplishments.

Biden’s visit Thursday included Douglas County, a county that helped Biden narrowly win the state in 2020 when he defeated Trump by more than 9 points. did.

Biden’s ground operations will soon begin to face significant tests as he shifts into general election mode. Some Democrats have expressed concerns about the pace of battlefield organization, but the campaign has deployed thousands of staff and said it expects to be operating at “full capacity” by early summer.

The Biden campaign, which announced its election leadership structure in the state in December, has been building infrastructure in Wisconsin in close consultation with the Democratic National Committee and is already preparing for the general election while continuing to hire staff. Activities and organization are underway.

The state’s campaign team is also involved in the Biden campaign’s relationship organizing initiative, which is exploring new ways to reach voters through social networks.

“This is a game in Wisconsin,” Wikler said.

This article and its headline were updated with additional developments Thursday.