Biden campaign planning North Carolina rally after he debates Trump
President Joe Biden’s campaign is working to organize a rally in the Raleigh area following his first debate with former President Donald Trump, a source told McClatchy.
McClatchy has not yet learned a date for the rally, where Biden would make an appearance in front of a crowd of supporters, something he rarely does.
Biden and his surrogates have been frequent visitors to North Carolina this campaign season, but their events have been smaller, more intimate gatherings, often organized by the White House, sometimes coupled with campaign fundraisers. The Biden campaign has largely left rallies to his opponent.
Trump and Biden will join one another on June 27 for a televised debate. It will be the first debate in the 2024 general election and the earliest debate ever held in a presidential election.
Biden has been targeting North Carolina, which is considered a swing state, since early last year.
It is rare for a Democrat to win North Carolina. Only former President Barack Obama has been able to pull off a win over a Republican since 1976.
But when Biden and Trump went head-to-head in 2020, Trump only won the state by 1.3%, and Biden is hoping to turn North Carolina blue.
Biden last visited North Carolina in March in a rare joint appearance with Vice President Kamala Harris.
His campaign just opened its 14th office, this one in Sylva.
Trump has had less of a presence in the state this year, without campaign offices and with few rallies.
This story was originally published June 14, 2024 at 8:00 AM.
