WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 2024 Presidential Election between presumptive nominees, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, is just over six months away.
Both candidates are on the campaign trail in key battleground states and are not holding back on criticisms of one another.
This week in Pennsylvania, President Biden made stops in his hometown of Scranton, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as he pitched his tax plan which focuses on having the rich pay their fair share and strengthening the middle class.
“I learned that no one’s looking for a handout. All anybody wants is a fair shot, a fair shot at making it, and they deserve a fair shot,” said Biden to supporters in Scranton on Tuesday.
The 81-year-old is hoping to appeal to middle class voters by drawing a contrast between he and former President Donald Trump.
“When I look at the economy, I don’t see it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago. I see it through the eyes of Scranton. And that’s not hyperbole, that’s a fact,” said Biden. “Scranton values or Mar-a-Lago values. These are the competing visions for our economy that raise questions of fundamental fairness at the heart of this campaign.”
The campaign stops come just days after former President Trump held a rally in the key battleground state, where recent polls suggest it could be one of the closest matchups in November. Both candidates are honing in on the economy and financial stability.
“It was just announced that inflation is once again raging, it’s close to 4% again, here we go,” said Trump at a rally in Schnecksville, PA on April 13.
“We’ve driven the cost of living just up so high,” said Rep. Mike Kelly (R- PA).
Kelly says Pennsylvanians are struggling financially. He believes the question for voters in November is simple.
“Whether you’re red or blue or whatever, is it good for America the direction we’re going in? And I think it’s hard for anybody to take a look, even on a global scale, where is America now as to where she was back in 2019, 2020, under different leadership in the White House,” said Kelly.
Congressman Dan Meuser (R- PA) who represents parts of the northern tier and northeast PA was also not shy in criticizing the President’s tax plan.
“President Biden continues to prove that he is nothing more than an out of touch tax-and-spend politician. The tax hikes he discussed while visiting Pennsylvania, as well as the trillions in new taxes proposed in his budget will be detrimental to the middle class,” said Rep. Dan Meuser (R- PA). “His tax plan will force mom-and-pop shops across the Commonwealth to close their doors, force larger companies to move jobs overseas, and cause consumer prices to climb even higher than they already have throughout his administration,” Meuser added.
Among other proposals, the President’s tax plan includes a minimum tax for billionaires of 25%, an increase of the corporate tax rate to 28% and the Inflation Reduction Act’s corporate minimum tax on billion-dollar corporations to 21%.
