Biden makes pitch for reelection to Lehigh Valley small business owners

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President Joe Biden made his 21st trip to Pennsylvania Friday, proclaiming the success of “Bidenomics” and his Investing in America plan. It was also his second visit to the Lehigh Valley, the first of which was in 2021 when he toured the Mack Trucks plant in Macungie.

During that trip, Biden pushed a “made in America” narrative vowing to invest in domestic companies and jobs.

“If you give American workers just a chance, a fighting chance, there’s nothing they won’t do,” he said at the time.

Two years later, Biden is claiming victory, arguing that his Investing in America plan is providing results, taking his case to the Lehigh Valley.

Air Force One touched down at the Lehigh Valley International Airport shortly after 1 p.m. Friday. The president was greeted by Senator Bob Casey, Governor Josh Shapiro and Allentown Mayor Matthew Tuerk.

Biden and his entourage immediately got into the waiting motorcade and proceeded directly to Emmaus, a small town bordering Allentown, via closed major motorways, including I-78. Hundreds of supporters and other observers lined the streets of Emmaus as the president pulled into town. An occasional opponent could be seen holding a thumb down or yelling for Biden to “go home.”

In the downtown area, he visited several small businesses, including Emmaus Run Inn, a running store that sells sneakers; South Mountain Bicycle; and Nowhere Coffee. In each shop, Biden bantered with owners in his affable campaign style, making jokes and small talk.

“I’m Joe Biden and I work for the government and the Senate,” he said as he entered Nowhere Coffee. There the president opted for a smoothie over a coffee and paid in cash. Governor Shapiro then started to introduce him to other local business owners strategically placed at the tables who had been waiting for at least an hour for their chance to meet the president.

The White House is pointing to 16 million new business applications — including a record-breaking 5.5 million last year — as evidence the economy has turned around since the pandemic and the last administration.

After the Emmaus business tour, Biden stopped by an Allentown fire station, delivering coffee and pastries picked up from Nowhere Coffee.

Biden’s series of visits reflects the importance Pennsylvania plays in the presidential election. Biden will likely need the commonwealth’s 19 electoral votes if he hopes to win in November.

This trip to the Lehigh Valley reflects the region’s long blue-collar history and its microcosm of America. In 2020, Biden won Lehigh County with just over 53% of the vote, while winning the commonwealth with just a hair over 50%.

“This is exactly the kind of area that the president should be visiting,” Rep. Susan Wild, who represents the Lehigh, Carbon, and Northampton counties, told reporters during the visit. “This is literally the quintessential Middle America even though we are not in the middle of America.”

The president’s starting argument for reelection this year is the economy. Democrats are adamant that Americans are better off now than they were before Biden assumed office.

Some economic numbers from the Lehigh Valley seem to reflect that — even if only slightly. Unemployment in Lehigh County is about 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s down from around 5% when he took office, which was also lower than the double digits seen during the start of the pandemic in 2020. It’s also lower than the 3.7% national average.

So far, polling in key swing states — including Pennsylvania — suggest Americans aren’t seeing the benefit quite yet. The last poll of likely voters in the Keystone State show 58% of Pennsylvanians do not approve of the job Biden is doing.

However, Biden told reporters Friday that he’s confident voters are getting it.

“If you look at the consumer confidence measures, they’re way up,” he said. “Everybody’s doing better, and they believe it, they know it and it’s just beginning to sink in.”

Mayor Tuerk, also a Democrat, told WHYY News that he also believes that the residents of his city also see benefits, regardless of what the polls say.

“I’m a retail politician,” he said. “I tend to go by what I hear from people in the streets, and I think people generally feel better. I think that President Biden’s making a very good case for his reelection in November, and I think that’s what I’ll be communicating to residents in Allentown.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect that Pennsylvania currently has 19 votes in the 2024 electoral college and not 20 as it did in 2020. Pennsylvania lost an electoral vote following the 2020 census.