WILKES-BARRE — Former President Donald Trump will rally supporters in northeastern Pennsylvania for the first time in 2024 on Saturday. A late-afternoon rally will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, not far from President Joe Biden’s childhood home in Scranton. The northeastern region was key to Trump’s 2016 victory.
“Inflation is devastating under this group of people who have no idea what the hell they’re doing,” Trump said early in his speech. “Are you better off with Kamala and Biden than you were with President Donald J. Trump? I don’t think so.”
Annual The inflation rate in July was 2.9%lowest rate from 2021
Saturday was Trump’s seventh visit to Pennsylvania this year.
Democrats criticized Trump ahead of Saturday’s rally, with Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti calling him “the most anti-union president in recent memory.”
“We will elect Vice President Harris because we know she cares about us. She has talked about her economic plan, which is focused on lowering costs for the residents of Scranton and all of Pennsylvania… We are just 81 days away from Election Day, and here in Scranton, we are excited about Vice President Harris and Governor Walz,” Cognetti said in a press release.
Trump 2016 The victory over Hillary Clinton made him the first Republican presidential candidate to win Pennsylvania since 1988. He turned the tide in Luzerne County, where Saturday’s rally is being held, beating Clinton by 20 points. And while Clinton won by 3.5 points in neighboring Lackawanna County this year, it was a much smaller margin than President Barack Obama’s victory over Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.
In 2012, Obama won Luzerne County by 5 points and Lackawanna County by 27 points.
When Biden won Pennsylvania in 2020His results in his home district, including an eight-point victory in Lackawanna County, played a key role.
Biden made one appearance in northeastern Pennsylvania in Aprilcalling the race between him and Trump “Scranton values or Mar-A-Lago values.” Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race in July after a destitute performance in a debate with Trump in behind schedule June.
The densely populated southeastern region of the commonwealth has been the site of most visits by both 2024 presidential campaigns.
Trump’s appearance in Pennsylvania on Saturday marks the start of a hectic period in the Keystone State for both campaigns.
On Sunday, Harris and Walz to go on bus tour in western Pennsylvania ahead of the opening of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday.
Trump and his vice presidential candidate, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), will give speeches on topics related to the economy in separate appearances in York and Philadelphia on Monday.
Before Biden dropped out of the race, polls consistently showed Trump with a narrow lead in the Keystone State. But Democrats have surged since Harris became the top candidate.
Some Emerson College Poll released Friday showed Trump and Harris each with 47 percent support in the race featuring independent candidates, while other recent polls showed Harris with a slight lead in the race.
Pennsylvania is the biggest draw among the states in the race, with 19 electoral votes, and both parties are doing everything they can to win voters from it.
Cook Political Report rates the presidential race in the state as “uncertain” (as of August 8).
This story was updated on August 17, 2024 at 4:55 p.m. to include Trump’s comments from the rally.
