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Former President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd before delivering the keynote address at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Path to the Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024 in Washington.
CNN
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Former President Donald Trump, in keeping with his preference of avoiding traditional debate preparation, will spend his final Saturday campaigning before his first one-on-one showdown with President Joe Biden.
Trump spoke to a gathering of Christian conservatives in Washington, D.C. on Saturday afternoon, touching on his familiar campaign message while highlighting his efforts to roll back federal abortion rights by nominating judges who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. On Saturday afternoon, he is scheduled to travel to the key battleground state of Philadelphia for a more traditional campaign rally.
The back-to-back public appearances are in stark contrast to Biden’s approach to the first of two presidential debates, with the president and his team spending the weekend at Camp David poring over briefing binders and holding mock debates to prepare for the pivotal meeting with Trump.
While Trump has been holding private briefings with advisers and allies, he has also been actively campaigning, holding a rally in Racine, Wisconsin, on Tuesday and attending a fundraiser in Ohio on Thursday night.
The Trump campaign is having fun contrasting the two candidates’ preparation styles.
“While Joe Biden’s advisers are forcing him to get some much-needed rest at Camp David, President Trump is maintaining a busy campaign schedule,” Trump spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said.
The rally in the nation’s capital on Saturday is the annual “Path to the Majority” conference organized by the Faith & Freedom Coalition, a group founded by evangelical leader Ralph Reed. Trump has spoken at the conference nine times, but his appearance on Saturday comes as he seeks to distance himself from the hardline anti-abortion stance of Christian groups like the Faith & Freedom Coalition.
Trump, who advocated for a federal abortion ban and led the campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade, now says future battles over abortion access should be left to states. Trump’s shift on abortion came after he blamed the issue for Republicans’ disappointing results in the 2022 midterm elections and before next month’s party convention will vote on its first platform since Roe was overturned.
Reid told CNN that she doesn’t think Trump’s positions are at odds with voters of faith.
“The president’s position simply reflects short-term political realities on both sides,” he said. “Neither side has the votes to pass federal legislation that reflects their values and aspirations.”
Reid added: “The long-term political reality is that whoever wins this fight at the state level will have the momentum and the votes to get what they want at the federal level.”
Democrats have campaigned aggressively, spending millions of dollars reminding voters of Trump’s role in eliminating constitutional abortion rights, and the Biden campaign has blasted Trump’s attendance at the Washington event as evidence of his position on the issue.
“You’re only as good as the people you hang out with,” said Biden campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitica. “Donald Trump’s position is clear: He’s ‘proudly’ worked with extremists to overturn Roe, he’s pledged to work ‘side by side’ with groups committed to ‘eliminating’ abortion, and this Saturday he’ll deliver a keynote address to fellow extremists committed to banning abortion across the country.”
As the election heats up in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, Trump will hold a rally in Philadelphia on Saturday night, his fourth rally in the state this year.
The Trump campaign has sought to sow a rift between Biden and his home state by harshly criticizing the president on inflation and crime.
“The great people of Pennsylvania are feeling the impact of Biden’s failed policies the most — their wallets,” the Trump campaign said in a statement announcing the rally.
Southeastern Pennsylvania has been a campaign hub for both presidents: Trump rallied in the Lehigh Valley in April and launched a line of athletic shoes at SneakerCon in Philadelphia in February as part of an outreach effort to minority communities.
Four years ago, Biden won Pennsylvania with 92% of its black voters, a key factor in his victory, but a recent poll by The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College found that Biden’s support among black voters in the state has fallen to 50%.
Ahead of Trump’s Saturday rally, the Democratic National Committee released a new ad that it said aims to highlight “Trump’s history of failing Black Americans and leaving Black communities behind.” The counter-messaging comes as polls show Black men are more inclined than ever to support Republican candidates in this year’s election.
In addition to the signs in Philadelphia, the DNC also plans to set up mobile billboards around former President Trump’s rallies highlighting higher black unemployment rates under Trump compared to Biden’s, as well as the Trump tax cuts that benefited wealthy Americans. The committee will set up “Support Biden Kiosks” around Temple University, where Trump’s rallies will be held, to highlight student loan debt relief and increased funding for public education implemented under Biden.
“Donald Trump has been a disaster for minority communities, especially Black Americans. He says he’s not a racist, but his record shows otherwise. He repeatedly disrespected large Black cities, jobs disappeared during his time in office, the unemployment rate for Black Americans more than doubled during the pandemic, and his tax evasion widened the racial wealth gap,” Democratic National Committee spokesman Abhi Rahman said in a statement.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
