President Donald Trump is coming back to Pennsylvania. The Keystone State, which helped propel him to the White House in 2016, will see him visiting Wilkes-Barre, Pa. in Luzerne County for a campaign rally with candidate Lou Barletta, currently a Republican U.S. Rep. for Pennsylvania’s 11th District.
The event will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 2 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, starting at 7 p.m. The event is free to registered guests.
The visit follows a recent campaign fundraiser for Barletta that vice president Mike Pence attended in Philadelphia, which was attended by hundreds of protesters including feminists dressed up as “handmaids.”
Trump has expressed support for Barletta on Twitter repeatedly, calling him “one of my very earliest supporters” and saying Barletta would “make a FANTASTIC Senator.”
“He is strong & smart, loves Pennsylvania & loves our Country! Voted for Tax Cuts, unlike Bob Casey, who listened to Tax Hikers Pelosi and Schumer!” Trump tweeted, adding in another tweet a knock against incumbent Democratic senator Bob Casey. “His opponent, Bob Casey, has been a do-nothing Senator who only shows up at election time. He votes along the Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren lines, loves sanctuary cities, bad and expensive healthcare.”
So far, Casey has amassed a significanty larger war chest than Barletta. Casey has a campaign fund of some $10 million, compared to Barletta’s $1.3 million fund, according to the last available campaign finance reports and prior to the Pence event, which was expected to raise $3-400,000 for Barletta’s campaign.
Pence was recently invited to Philadelphia’s Union League Club in Center City to campaign for Barletta. Despite the fundraising gap, Barletta’s campaign is counting on the Pence and Trump visits to help generate name recognition.
Donald Trump Dreams of Pa.
Trump could use the help in Pennsylvania. While he decisively won the state in 2016, it’s first win by a Republican presidential candidate since 1988, Trump is rumored to greatly fear losing the state in 2020, Axios reported.
Biden, Trump’s campaign believes, could appeal to working-class white voters in the state he was born in and still maintains strong ties with. Trump has criticized Biden harshly on Twitter, writing, “Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn’t know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don’t threaten people Joe!”
But in an interview with CBS, asked about potential competitors in 2020, Trump said “I dream about Biden… I’d love to have it be Biden.”
