Staff Reports
On Labor Day, President Biden gave a speech in which he praised union workers and made fun of his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. Biden spoke in front of "Union Strong" signs to a crowd that included blue-collar workers and people from Philadelphia, two important groups of voters for his possible second term. Biden sometimes raised his voice as he talked about his support for workers' rights to unite and get overtime pay. This showed how committed he is to giving workers more power and how confident he is in his jobs plan.
Biden takes shots at ‘last guy’ in fiery speech to unions in Philadelphiahttps://t.co/42Y9xzS7hk pic.twitter.com/eO7ZpJtlTF
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 5, 2023
Even though he didn't name Trump, Biden didn't shy away from attacking him. He told the crowd that their pensions were in danger when the last president was in office, and he said that his work had helped save millions of benefits. The president also made fun of Trump's failure to get much done by comparing his bipartisan infrastructure plan to the failed "Infrastructure Week" of the Trump era. Biden said of Trump that he was a maker of real estate who "didn't build a damn thing."
The president said that his legislative plan was creating jobs and put out an ad that showed how the bipartisan CHIPS Act was paying for new semiconductor facilities in Arizona. Even though Biden's race will be closer than expected next year and the United Auto Workers' contract talks could cause economic trouble, he didn't seem worried and said he was sure there wouldn't be a strike.
As a Democratic base in the swing state of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia is very important to Biden's chances of getting re-elected. Biden spoke in front of Philadelphia's Independence Hall about the ongoing fight for the soul of the country. He talked about how the federal government is working to fix a collapsed highway ramp ahead of schedule. Danny Bauder, president of the Philadelphia Council of the AFL-CIO, gave him high marks and said that Biden was the best union boss they had ever had.
After a Wall Street Journal poll showed that he was tied with Trump, Biden went back to Philadelphia. He knew that his age (80) and Trump's ability to keep high poll numbers despite legal problems would be problems. Trump is being charged with multiple crimes and is still in court, but he is still in the lead in the GOP polls. Donna Brazile, who used to be chair of the Democratic National Committee, said that Biden and the Democrats need to get people excited, especially Latino and Black voters, if they want to win the next election.
Even though there were problems, Biden seemed sure of himself. He even made a joke about being the oldest president in U.S. history and said that with age comes some knowledge. In 2024, the union workers and people of Philadelphia, as well as the rest of the country, will decide if Biden was right to be so confident.
