First Lady Dr. Jill Biden campaigns in Phoenix
The First Lady was at a senior center in Phoenix to campaign for her husband, President Joe Biden in the key battleground state of Arizona.
PHOENIX – While the 2024 presidential election is still about five months away, the campaign trail is heating up as the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden stopped in Arizona to advocate for a second term for her husband, President Joe Biden, in front of a group of senior voters at the Devonshire Senior Center in Phoenix.
“Donald Trump supported ending Medicare as we know it. He came one vote away from repealing the Affordable Care Act, which would have raised drug prices by hundreds of dollars a year, and he repeatedly sabotaged the law. He wants to cut Social Security to give more tax breaks to his billionaire friends,” she said to the crowd.
She also found common ground, pointing out that her husband is 81-years-old and still striving toward a better future.
“President Biden is a man of great kindness, integrity and character, and he is a loving, compassionate father and husband. Joe Biden is a healthy, wise, 81-year-old, ready and willing to work for you every day to make our future better,” she added.
The First Lady also hit campaign stops in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nevada this week to appeal to senior voters while taking part in events like phone banks, bingo nights and pickleball tournaments.
Where was President Biden?
President Biden was fulfilling presidential duties at the G7 summit in Italy and met with Pope Francis on Saturday.
Biden has had a longstanding relationship with the Pope since 2013 when Biden was part of the U.S. convoy to greet him upon his papal election. The two have exchanged correspondence in the form of occasional letters since Pope Francis was elected.
At the time, Biden was the first Catholic Vice President in the history of the United States under then-President Barack Obama. He is the second Catholic President, following John F. Kennedy who was elected in 1961.
Where was former President Trump?
His opponent, former President Donald Trump was back on the campaign trail in Michigan, attending a town hall with primarily black voters in Detroit, Michigan.
Arizona and Michigan are considered two of the most important battleground states in the 2024 election, as both states flipped from voting Republican for Trump in 2016 to Democrat for Biden in 2020.
Trump is back on the campaign trail after hearing a guilty verdict on 34 felony counts in a New York court case nearly two weeks ago. His sentencing for those verdicts is scheduled for July 11.
His next major political decision could be who he chooses as Vice President.
In 2016, Trump chose Mike Pence as his running mate on July 15.
Where was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?
Little-known third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was busy this week working to get his name on state ballots across the country.
Kennedy is required to be on the ballot in enough states to total 270 electoral votes, enough to win the electoral college, in order to qualify for a CNN Presidential debate scheduled for later this month.
According to the Associated Press, Kennedy is still behind on those totals but is working to secure a place on the ballot in Minnesota, Tennessee and North Carolina.
According to a post on X, he was at an election rally in Austin, Texas on June 14.
