President Biden marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day at a food bank in Philadelphia, a key Democratic stronghold, while his potential GOP rival crisscrossed Iowa ahead of evening caucuses and the formal start of the 2024 campaign.
“Where do you want me? Mr. Biden said, smiling, as he picked up a bag of apples at Philabundance, a hunger-relief organization.
The president was among volunteers stuffing cardboard boxes with packaged food such as rice and canned goods.
He is volunteering at Philabundance for the third year in a row, though Pennsylvania’s largest city holds outsized importance this year as Mr. Biden fights for a second term.
Mr. Biden says he is confident of victory in November, particularly if the race is a rematch against former President Donald Trump, though he suffers from low approval ratings and concerns about his advanced age of 81.
He also can’t escape increasingly vocal concerns from pro-Palestinian protesters who say the U.S. is facilitating civilian deaths in Gaza as it supports Israel’s campaign against Hamas, the militant group that launched terror raids on southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7.
A group of pro-Palestine protesters held signs saying “Stop the genocide!” as Mr. Biden arrived at the food bank.
Mr. Biden used the occasion to strike up conversations with volunteers about their ages and backgrounds, telling one woman across from him that first lady Jill Biden is a teacher.
Philadelphia is chock full of Democrats in swing-state Pennsylvania, which doles out 19 electoral votes and could be decisive in determining who wins in November.
Mr. Biden is from nearby Delaware and makes frequent stops in Philadelphia. He also likes to highlight last year’s emergency rebuild of an I-95 highway ramp in Philadelphia as an example of government in action.
The president made another visit, while Mr. Trump and the rest of the GOP field attempted to lock down votes ahead of Iowa caucuses Monday that kick off the primary season.
Mr. Trump is expected to cruise to victory, making it a battle between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for second place.
Ms. Haley is optimistic about the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23, where she is running behind Mr. Trump by single digits in some polls.
Like Mr. Biden, the eventual GOP nominee will visit Pennsylvania frequently. Mr. Trump won the state en route to victory in 2016 before losing it to Mr. Biden in 2020.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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