‘He Wasn’t Born Here’: Trump Birthers Biden Near Scranton Ahead Of DNC Acceptance Speech

TOPLINE

President Trump traveled to Old Forge, Pennsylvania, just miles away from former Vice President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, to deliver a scathing speech in which he claimed Biden ‘wasn’t born’ in Scranton, just hours before the Democratic presidential hopeful was set to accept his party’s nomination.

KEY FACTS

Key Background

This is not the first time Trump has questioned the origins of one of his Democratic opponents in recent weeks. Asked earlier this month about an article that erroneously questioned the eligibility of Biden’s California-born running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, Trump praised the author of the piece and said “I heard it today that she doesn’t meet the requirements,” adding “I would’ve assumed the Democrats would’ve checked that out before she gets chosen as vice president.” The comments came as an unpleasant aftershock to Democrats who remembered Trump’s frequent claims that President Obama was not born in America, claims he abandoned during the 2016 campaign.

What To Watch For

Comments like this may become a staple of Trump’s speeches as part of a broader strategy by his campaign to dismiss Biden’s Rust Belt roots and cast him as a “liberal elite,” similar to attacks he made against Hillary Clinton in 2016. These attacks have become a central message of the 2020 campaign since Biden tapped Harris as his running mate, with Trump’s fundraising emails telling supporters “It’s Mega Donors vs. You” and that Harris’ presence on the ticket means the two are indebted to “liberal elites” and Silicon Valley donors.

Big Number

6%. That’s how much Biden leads Trump in Pennsylvania, according to the RealClearPolitics average.