White House confirms Biden will visit NC A&T on trip to Greensboro. What we know.
President Joe Biden will travel to N.C. A&T State University in Greensboro Thursday and meet with students before delivering remarks on the economy, the White House announced Wednesday.
Biden’s trip to North Carolina, his third to the state since taking office, was first announced last week. On Tuesday, a source familiar with his visit told McClatchy that Biden would give a speech on inflation at N.C. A&T State, which is the nation’s largest historically Black college or university.
The White House confirmed in Biden’s schedule for Thursday that he will visit the university, where he’ll first meet with faculty and students studying robotics and cybersecurity.
He’s scheduled to arrive at Piedmont Triad International Airport at 12:20 p.m., and will meet with the N.C. A&T faculty and students just after 1 p.m. While meeting with students, Biden will also tour the university’s Harold L. Martin Sr. Engineering Research & Innovation Complex.
After that, at approximately 2:15 p.m., Biden will deliver remarks on a number of his administration’s initiatives to revitalize the economy and at the same time, combat inflation which has been a worsening financial burden on families across the country.
According to the White House, Biden will tout the impact of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill he signed into law in November, and promote another piece of legislation directed at fixing supply chain issues, and boosting technological innovation and U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. That measure is currently being resolved by a conference committee after the U.S. House and Senate each passed different versions of the bill.
Biden is expected to talk about how both of the measures will “lay a foundation for an economic renewal,” according to the White House. He’s also expected to talk about how the “historic investments” included in the innovation and competition legislation will create manufacturing jobs, strengthen U.S. supply chains, and lower everyday costs for middle class Americans.
Ross, Cooper to join Biden
Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, of Wake County, will join Biden on Thursday at N.C. A&T.
In an interview with McClatchy, Ross, a first-term Democrat, said that the proposed innovation and competition legislation will address immediate needs. That includes the global pandemic-induced shortage of microchips that has impeded production of cars, televisions, smartphones, computers and robotic vacuums.
During Biden’s remarks, he will acknowledge the “difficult situation” Americans are facing financially, particularly with rising gas prices and everyday goods and groceries becoming increasingly expensive, Ross said. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor said year-over-year percentage change in the Consumer Price Index reached 8.5% in March — the fastest 12-month rate of inflation seen since 1981, according to the New York Times.
“Now, we all know that these situations are not of his making, and he’s inherited many of them, but the good thing about Biden is he is a grown-up and says, ‘Well, this is the situation we’ve had. I’ve seen situations like this — sometimes worse, sometimes better. Let’s roll up our sleeves and see what we can do to help,’” Ross said.
Biden’s visit comes at a time when polling shows about only three in 10 Americans approve of the way Biden is handling his job.
North Carolina is a swing state that voted for former President Donald Trump over Biden by approximately 1.3% in the 2020 presidential election.
A new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, which surveyed 1,412 U.S. adults between April 7 and 11, showed that Biden’s approval rating was 33%. A total of 53% of people surveyed said they disapproved of the way he was handling his job, while 13% did not offer an opinion.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 6:46 PM.
