Approximately six months after he was inaugurated, Joe Biden will visit the Lehigh Valley for the first time as president this coming Wednesday, July 28.
The visit was announced by the White House Friday.
According to a White House news release, Biden will travel to Macungie, Lehigh County, “where he will emphasize the importance of American manufacturing, buying products made in America and supporting good-paying jobs for American workers.”
Additional details about Biden’s visit are still to be released, but the timing of the visit–relatively early in his first term in office–may be an indicator of just how important the Lehigh Valley is considered to be to Biden’s future success as president.
The Lehigh Valley proved to be a critical bellwether for Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, in November, when narrow victories in Northampton and Lehigh counties helped them capture Pennsylvania’s coveted 20 electoral votes.
The subject of jobs has become a hot-button issue locally this summer, as many businesses and organizations have struggled to attract workers, more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic upended the U.S. economy and forced millions out of work.
Biden recently visited Philadelphia to deliver a speech about protecting voting rights, which have recently become a partisan issue, with Republicans in most states enacting or attempting to enact restrictions on the right to vote in the wake of last year’s election.
Roughly six months into his first term, Joe Biden has annouced that he will visit the Lehigh Valley for the first time as president. The Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania proved crucial to Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in November. Biden narrowly carried Northampton and Lehigh counties, which helped tip the state’s vote total in his favor. Biden is pictured above with Vice President Kamala Harris following the election. (FILE PHOTO)
