Biden seeks to mobilize on crime and climate ahead of midterms

Climate change in Massachusetts on Wednesday, gun control in Pennsylvania on Thursday, next week -- law and order in Florida.

US President Joe Biden is back on the road to try to mobilize voters ahead of November midterm elections, which are forecast to be painful for the Democratic Party.

Biden will travel to the city of Wilkes-Barre in northeast Pennsylvania on Thursday to burnish his credentials in fighting crime, at a time when violence is surging in the United States.

That comes after he sought to revive his climate change agenda on Wednesday in the northeastern state of Massachusetts, and ahead of a visit Monday to Florida -- at the invitation of an association of African-American police officers -- where he will also participate in a campaign meeting with his party.

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It remains to be seen whether the flurry of activity will do much to boost the Democrats' chances in the midterms at a time when Biden is more unpopular than ever.

According to a study conducted by Quinnipiac University in the state of Connecticut and released Wednesday, Biden's approval ratings hit a new low, with only 31 percent of Americans satisfied with the way he is running the country.

With Republicans accusing Biden of being soft on crime, the White House came out with a statement listing all of the administration's initiatives on law enforcement.

Those include a giant infrastructure and public services bill passed last fall, which allocates resources to local authorities to fight crime, as well as efforts on reducing gun violence and boosting gun control.

"President Biden knows what works to make our communities safer: investing in community policing and crime prevention," the White House said ahead of Thursday's trip to Pennsylvania.

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"The president believes we can and must do more to reduce crime and save lives."

Conservatives criticize Biden for wanting to cut the budget for law enforcement. But the White House pointed out that he is requesting a total of $37 billion to fund police and boost the means to investigate gun crimes in the 2023 fiscal year.

Biden's plan to spend more time on the ground in the United States comes after a period of intense overseas travel, including a NATO summit in Spain and a controversial trip to Saudi Arabia.

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Source: AFP