Biden, Obama and Trump … prominent figures flock to Pennsylvania three days before the mid-term elections in the United States

Posted in: 06/11/2022 – 07:26

Three days before the mid-term US elections, hurry up Democrats and Republicans To mobilize voters, they went so far as to invite former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, as well as current President Joe Biden, to the main state of Pennsylvania.

The three presidents appear at staggered election rallies ahead of a crucial electoral process that will lay the groundwork for the 2024 presidential election.

The spotlight is on this state as Trump-backed millionaire surgeon Mehmet Oz and bald former mayor Jon Fetterman vying for one of the most contested seats in the Senate. It is very likely that the balance of power in the Council will depend on this particular venue.

Other – US Mid-Term Elections: Pro-Trump Candidates … A Danger to Democracy?

During the mid-term elections scheduled for November 8, the Americans were called to renew all seats in the House of Representatives. A number of positions are at stake for locally elected representatives who decide their state’s policy on abortion and environmental laws.

A sea of ​​red hats

Although he has so far avoided getting on the podium as part of the campaign to raise donations for his party, Joe Biden took the stage on Saturday. During a Democratic Party rally, he considered that next week’s mid-term elections would be a “milestone” in the fate of democracy in the United States.

“This is a defining moment for the nation and we must all speak with one voice,” Biden said in Philadelphia, where he is supporting Democratic candidates in the Pennsylvania governor and Senate elections.

Later in the afternoon, Biden shared the stage with former President Barack Obama, known for his rhetorical skills in front of the crowd.

“It is very important that the Democrats remain” in power, said Jennifer Hahn, a 57-year-old psychologist, as she waited in the autumn sun for the speeches of Biden, Obama and Fetterman. For this Democrat, “climate change, gun violence and violation of individual rights” are the most important issues in the ballot.

“hard times”

Obama has been present since Saturday morning in the industrial city of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, where he asked voters to vote for Democratic candidates.

The former leader noted that “the country has gone through difficult times in recent years”, mainly due to the “historic pandemic”. The architect of the health insurance system, “Obamacare”, has attacked Republicans who want to “dismantle social security and health care and give big companies and the rich more tax cuts.”

For his part, a few hours later, 400 km away, former President Donald Trump stopped in front of a sea of ​​red hats in the town of La Trobe, near Pittsburgh.

On Saturday, Trump urged a “giant red wave” of Republicans to secure victory over the Democrats in next week’s mid-term elections.

“If you want to stop the destruction of our country and save the American dream, then this Tuesday you have to vote for Republicans in a giant red wave,” Trump said at a rally in key Pennsylvania, referring to the color of his party.

After a ferocious campaign centered on inflation, Republicans seem increasingly confident in their chances of depriving the Democratic president of his majority in Congress. And if their expectations are confirmed, the Republican billionaire seems determined to use this momentum to formally and swiftly submit his presidential candidacy, perhaps starting in the third week of this month.

Biden has so far said he intends to run, but that prospect doesn’t necessarily appeal to all Democrats given his popularity and declining age as he approaches 80.

Abortion and hypertrophy

The Democratic president is trying everything in his power to convince Americans that these elections are a “choice” about the future of abortion and same-sex marriage, and many arguments have promised to legislate through a solid majority al Congress.

The right to abortion, which was torpedoed by the US Supreme Court in June, was once a central topic in Pennsylvania. Planned Parenthood Planned Parenthood has lent its support to Democrat John Fetterman several times during the campaign.

However, price increases, at an annual rate of 8.2% in the United States, remain the main concern for Americans, and Biden’s efforts to present himself as a “middle-class president” are currently not paying off. .

Republican candidate Mehmet Oz said Friday that “the Democrats are concerned”. Oz focused his campaign on containing inflation and crime, which he considered “out of control”. In a letter to his supporters, he said, “the radical left understands that momentum is in the interest” of Republicans.

FRANCE 24 / AFP