As part of his strategy to counter the Democratic National Convention, President Donald Trump is planning to give a speech in the key swing state of Pennsylvania this Thursday, the same day presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden is scheduled to give his acceptance address, The Hill reported on Sunday.
Trump's campaign announced over the weekend that the president is scheduled to deliver remarks at 3 p.m. on "a half century of Joe Biden failing America" in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, just hours before Biden is expected to start his speech from Delaware to accept the party nomination.
Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates dismissed the president's planned remarks as "a pathetic attempt to distract from the fact that Trump's presidency stands for nothing but crises, lies, and division — the opposite of what Pennsylvanians are hungry for and what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris represent."
Bates added that "From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Joe's hometown of Scranton, voters across the Keystone State know that Joe Biden will restore the soul of our nation and fight for Pennsylvania families every day in office."
Trump eked out a victory in Pennsylvania four years ago, but current polls consistently show that Biden has the lead in the vital state.
Trump is also planning to travel this week to other battleground states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Arizona.