Washington — In his last rally before his criminal hush money trial begins Monday, Donald Trump will visit northeast Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden's home territory. The former president and GOP nominee will appear at Schnecksville Fire Hall in Lehigh County. Trump will make his third visit to the swing state this year, which could decide the presidential election. He'll also attend a Bucks County fundraiser before the event.
The Trump-Biden rematch is a key battleground, with both candidates anticipated to visit Pennsylvania frequently through November. Republicans won the state in 2016 but lost it four years later to Biden, who was born in Scranton and has long talked about his ties there. Biden will give a significant tax fairness speech in Scranton on Tuesday.
Trump faces four criminal indictments while trying to avenge his loss to Biden, causing unparalleled legal and political mayhem. In New York, jury selection begins Monday in his trial for attempting to conceal extramarital affairs with hush money during his 2016 campaign.
There will be the first criminal trial of a former president. Despite being expected to speak to the media after court and fundraising and campaigning on his felony charges for months, Trump will be less available on the campaign trail. He claims political opponents are pursuing them to prevent him from gaining the White House again.
Biden says Trump's claims about losing 2020 are dangerous. He has suggested Trump threatens democracy and U.S. ties abroad, which Trump has applied to Biden.
In recent weeks, both candidates have worked to energize their voter bases and split their opponents' coalitions, a strategy that will be tested in the coming months. Trump recently advised Democratic-leaning Israeli supporters to vote for him instead of Biden, who has condemned Netanyahu's battle against Hamas. The Republican declared Wednesday that “any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or Biden should have their head examined.”
After the government reported Wednesday that March inflation rose 0.4% to 3.5% yearly, he can attack Biden's economic management. Biden has also put Trump on the defensive over abortion, a GOP weakness since many people oppose new state restrictions on the procedure after Trump's Supreme Court justices overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.
Trump tried to placate women voters by claiming the states should handle the dispute. Last week, Arizona's top court ruled that the state could enforce an 1864 abortion ban, prompting Trump to say on Wednesday that the legislation was too restrictive.
Trump has tried to center the campaign on immigration. Given the unprecedented number of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border under Biden, the Republican has tried to depict him as a border security slacker. He also criticized the president for not increasing oil exploration despite record domestic production.
Jobs have grown around Lehigh County under Biden. The BLS reported 445,200 jobs, up from 429,900 during the Trump presidency. A healthy 3.9% unemployment rate is better than 4.6% before the coronavirus epidemic during Trump's presidency.
Still, the Democrat has failed to prove he has managed the economy. In March, The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs found that 37% of Americans approve of his economic leadership. Inflation has plagued Biden's reputation. As yearly inflation has risen since January, shelter, gasoline, auto insurance, and other prices raised March inflation. After falling for a year, inflation rose to 3.5%, a four-decade high in 2022.
Biden expects inflation will decline and the Fed to cut interest rates. “We have a plan to deal with it, whereas the opposition — my opposition — talks about two things,” he stated Wednesday. “They just want to cut taxes for the wealthy and raise taxes on others.”
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