President Trump will be visiting Ohio Thursday for the first time since the pandemic started. Governor Mike DeWine has moved his scheduled Thursday COVID-19 brief to the following day to make room for the president, WKBN reports.
The visit comes as the election continues to heat up between the president and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Polls are mixed but poll averages from 270towin.com show President Trump up in Ohio by a narrow margin over Biden.
Ohio has always been an important battleground state. The state, which helped elect President Bush in 2000 and 2004, and President Obama in 2008 and 2012 has voted for the winner of almost every election since 1860.
The president’s visit will start with a fundraiser hosted by Republican Party fundraising affiliate Win Red on August 6.
Trump will be traveling across the state, including a trip to the Clyde Whirpool appliance factory.
Senator Robert Portman (R-OH) welcomed the president in a press release stating, “I’m pleased that President Trump will be visiting the world-class workforce at Whirlpool’s Clyde factory.”
The senator noted this would not be the first time the two had interactions relating to the factory saying that he’d been pleased when Trump authorized a safeguard in 2017 for the company after testimony the senator gave to the International Trade Commission. On the effects of the safeguard, Portman said “since those tariffs went into effect Whirlpool has increased their investment in their workers and American production.”
The president’s visit precedes the first presidential debate which will be taking place at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. The debate had been scheduled to take place at Notre Dame, but the school withdrew because of coronavirus concerns.
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Ben Kolodny is a reporter at The Ohio Star and the Star News Network. You can follow Ben on Twitter. Tips can be sent to [email protected].
