On Thursday, President Donald Trump held a rally in Joe Biden’s childhood hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he pushed what was described as a birther theory about the former vice president, Raw Story reported.
“You know, he left like 70 years ago,” Trump said. “He wasn’t born — I view it differently. He’d say he was born here. But he left when he was like 8, 9 or 10. So he left 68 years ago, he left. Long time ago. So I view it differently. He wasn’t born here. He abandoned Scranton!”
The claim comes after Trump notoriously suggested that Barack Obama was not birthed in the United States and thus unqualified to lead America. Far more recently, he referred to a theory that Kamala Harris — Biden’s running mate — may not be eligible to be vice president due to her heritage. The latter was first floated by conservative law professor John Eastman, who penned a Newsweek op-ed outlining the claims.
As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer , Trump accused Biden of selling out the people of Scranton for Washington and claimed that the Democratic nominee’s presidency would fuel violent crime around the country and destroy manufacturing jobs. He seemingly invoked a vision of violence in various Democrat-led cities.
“If you want a vision of your life under a Biden presidency, think of the smoldering ruins of Minneapolis, the violent anarchy of Portland, the bloodstained sidewalks of Chicago, and imagine the mayhem coming to your town.”
Per USA Today , Biden has pointed to his upbringing in Scranton on many occasions and suggested that it was crucial in shaping his values. According to political scientist Terry Madonna, Biden is respected by the people of Scranton. He implied that Trump’s attacks on the Democrat in his birthplace could backfire but noted the real estate mogul was going to “do things his own way” — regardless of the possible consequences.
Scranton has been a battleground region for blue-collar voters for decades, USA Today reported. The area has 20 electoral votes and has historically been an important fight for both the Republican and Democratic parties. Notably, Biden served as a Senator in Delaware, a state that neighbors his hometown.
Republicans have reportedly gained voters in northeast Pennsylvania since 2016 when Trump outperformed expectations in the region. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer , Democrats are banking on Biden’s ties to the area helping them gain the support of white, working-class voters that helped Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
