Biden pushes his economic populism in battleground Pennsylvania as Trump’s stuck in a New York courtroom

President Joe Biden is seeking to draw a sharp economic contrast with former President Donald Trump during a three-day swing through Pennsylvania with campaign officials framing the election as a debate between his “kitchen table” Scranton outlook and Trump’s “Mar-a-Lago vision.”

President Joe Biden is seeking to make a sharp economic argument against former President Donald Trump during a three-day swing through Pennsylvania with campaign officials framing the election as a debate between his “kitchen table” Scranton outlook and Trump’s “Mar-a-Lago vision.” The trip, which kicks off Tuesday in Biden’s hometown of Scranton, also will set up a stark split screen as the president is on the campaign trail while Trump spends most of the week in a New York City courtroom for his criminal trial. “No matter where Donald Trump is, whether it’s in Mar-a-Lago, a courtroom or anywhere else, he’ll be focused on himself, his toxic agenda, his campaign of revenge and retribution. That’s going to be a continuation of the contrast the American people have been able to see since this campaign began,” said Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler. Biden’s Pennsylvania push comes as he’s also seeking to move the needle with voters who continue to hold sour views about the president’s handling of the economy. Recent polling has also shown a close contest between Biden and Trump fewer than seven months from Election Day. Biden’s speech on Tuesday is expected to be heavy on economic populism as he seeks to portray Trump as out of touch with Americans’ concerns. He will zero-in on the two candidates’ differing plans on tax policy as the president outlines “how Trump’s tax plan is a handout to the rich and leaves the middle class holding the bag,” Tyler said. The president is expected to take aim at Trump’s pledge to extend the sweeping tax cuts that congressional Republicans approved in 2017 – a measure that reduced taxes for most Americans, but from which the rich benefited far more than others. Meanwhile, Biden is campaigning on raising taxes on the wealthy to fund his social and other priorities while protecting those who earn less than $400,000 a year from tax hikes.