Donald Trump is set to hold a rally in Biden country before the former president’s hush money trial in New York starts next week.
Mr. Trump is slated to speak at the Schnecksville Fire Hall in LeHigh County, Pennsylvania, marking his third appearance this year in the battleground state. President Biden has already logged numerous visits to his home state and plans to give a campaign speech in his Scranton birthplace on Tuesday.
Both candidates will likely crank up their campaigns in Pennsylvania in the coming months.
The former president flipped the Keystone State in 2016 and is vying to do the same again, which would be an embarrassing defeat for Mr. Biden, whose campaign headquarters are in Philadelphia. Mr. Biden wrested Pennsylvania from Mr. Trump in 2020 and hopes to maintain his grip on the state.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump’s hush money trial over 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York is set to begin Monday with jury selection after a string of requests to delay the trial. This will mark the first time a former president stands trial in a criminal case.
It also sets up a slowdown in the former president’s campaign activities. Mr. Trump is required to appear in court every day the court is in session during the trial, which could last eight weeks.
Though Mr. Trump doesn’t have to testify, he said he “absolutely” would.
“I’m testifying,” Mr. Trump told reporters Friday. “I tell the truth. I mean, all I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is that there is no case.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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