Talks about federal indictments, classified documents and anything related to the president’s predecessor are off the table. Bridge repair, “junk fees” and prescription drug prices are all the rage.
As President Biden ramps up his re-election campaign, his team is not focused on the various investigations into former President Donald J. Trump, but on highlighting ways, however mundane, his administration can help Americans in your daily life.
Such was the case when Mr. Biden visited Philadelphia, where a heavy crash last weekend caused part of a highway used by area commuters to collapse, and checked out the recycled glass product he said was needed to ensure fast road repair. Biden then held one of his most public campaign rallies to celebrate the endorsement of more than a dozen unions.
“I am proud to be the most union-friendly president in American history,” Biden told a crowd inside the Philadelphia convention center. “But what I’m really proud of is being re-elected as the most pro-union president in American history.”
The visit to Pennsylvania capped a week that, in many ways, will serve as a blueprint for how the White House will proceed as the nation focuses on the former president’s various criminal investigations. As Republican candidates argue over Trump’s case, Biden hopes to show his way of governing. While his opponents attack, or promise to pardon, Trump, Biden prefers to talk about infrastructure and crack down on undisclosed fees.
“He doesn’t need to be in the news or make a big splash,” said Matt Bennett, executive vice president of public affairs for Third Way, a centrist Democratic advocacy group. “He needs to underscore what voters like about him and remove any doubt about him by doing what he did this week — show that he’s making progress on the things they feel in their daily lives.”
Easier said than done. Polls show that many Americans are dissatisfied with Biden and his domestic agenda. Just 33 percent of American adults say they approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, and just 24 percent say the nation’s economic conditions are good, according to a survey conducted in May by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Overall, 40 percent said they approved of the job Biden was doing.
White House officials involved in the Biden campaign are betting they can turn the tide by not only hosting traditional rallies, which have been largely absent in his campaign thus far, but also hosting events showcasing the president’s legislative accomplishments. , like his $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package and his separate health, climate and tax bill. They are also increasing staffing for the Biden campaign and are contemplating opening a campaign headquarters in Delaware this summer, according to a White House official.
But it may take time for Americans to feel the effect of those policies, making Biden’s ability to sell his achievements all the more important.
“I think you will see a combination of events like this, that will complement most of your work, which will be the more presidential and official side,” said Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, D-Pennsylvania, who was at the rally. that we are communicating our story at home, especially in the nation’s largest battleground state.”
Before the Pennsylvania event, Biden met with the NATO secretary general to continue rallying the West against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which some in the White House see as Biden’s main achievement. He then celebrated the June 16 holiday with a White House reception before hosting a panel discussion detailing efforts to crack down on extra fees commonly charged by travel and entertainment companies. His advisers also arranged meetings with environmental activists and business and union leaders to emphasize that he had the support of two factions that have been at odds in the past.
And he did his best to ignore Trump. The White House hopes to keep quiet about the multiple cases involving the former president to avoid accusations of meddling in Justice Department affairs. But White House officials also believe the best approach is to focus on the everyday problems of Americans, in contrast to Republican opponents who are fielding questions about Trump’s precarious legal situation.
Quentin James, co-founder of Collective PAC, an organization dedicated to electing black officials, said the success of that plan would largely depend on whether Biden could effectively translate sprawling legislation into palatable solutions.
“The challenge is not so much to get through the Trump noise; It is, words like investment and federal funds will really reach the pockets and pockets of working families,” said Mr. James. “Will these investments mean something tangible in people’s take-home pay before the election?”
