President Joe Biden is visiting Florida on Thursday. The purpose of the trip is to speak out in support of maintaining Social Security and Medicare and increasing your chances of re-election in 2024.
Biden has said he plans to run for a second term, with an official announcement expected in the coming weeks.
Biden’s trip to Florida is part of a tour by the president and members of his cabinet across the country. After his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, the president will visit at least 20 states.
In recent years, Florida has overwhelmingly voted for Republican candidates. The last Democratic presidential candidate in Florida was Barack Obama in 2012.
Former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are the favorites for the Republican nomination in the next presidential election in 2024. Both will have an advantage over Biden in Florida.
However, Biden is confident his policies can resonate in a state where one in five residents is over 65. Polls show Democrats are likely to defend Social Security and Medicare programs that provide retirees with a basic income and health care.
“Republicans in the House and Senate have said they want to end these two programs and have outlined plans to do so,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary.
Republican Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has repeatedly said his party will not try to cut two of the nation’s largest welfare programs.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, who played a key role in Biden’s 2020 campaign, says it’s important not to overstate Florida’s importance in the race ahead, stressing the importance of Arizona and from Georgia, where the Democrats have done better.
