Biden’s Madison trip crucial for reviving campaign

The president was due to hold a rally at Sherman Middle School on Madison’s North Side before heading back to Washington Friday afternoon. Biden’s Madison visit, his fifth to Wisconsin this year, is to be followed an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Friday night and a visit to Philadelphia on Sunday. He also plans to hold a full news conference during the NATO summit in Washington next week.

The Wisconsin State Journal will have live updates from the scene throughout the day Friday.

Biden gave supporters the pledge many were waiting to hear — and others, perhaps, were fearing: Despite the fact that he is the Democratic Party’s nominee, he said, some were trying to push him out of the race.

“Well let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race,” Biden thundered as a crowd of hundreds gathered inside the middle school gymnasium cheered. “I’ll beat Donald Trump.”

Then, in another unforced error, he said: “I’ll beat him again in 2020” before correcting himself. “And by the way we’re going to do it again in 2024.”

As he has repeatedly since the debate, Biden sought to address head-on the criticism that he has grown too old and unsteady for the job.

“I wasn’t too old to create over 50 million new jobs,” he said, or take on the big pharmacy companies to force a reduction in the cost of insulin.

“Was I too old to relieve student debt for over 5 million Americans? Too old to put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States? To sign the Respect for Marriage Act?”

In a call-and-response speech, Biden asked his supporters: “Do you think I’m too old to restore Roe v. Wade to the law of the land,” to ban assault weapons and protect Social Security?

“No,” the crowd shouted back after each question.

A crowd formed along the sidewalk behind Sherman Middle School in the hours before President Biden arrived for Friday’s campaign event.

Nearby residents noticed cars filling ordinarily quiet streets and came to see what was going on. Those who had heard about Biden’s visit and put the pieces together when they saw the traffic clued in their neighbors who hadn’t.

A group of rising eighth graders standing in the crowd said they hadn’t expected Biden to visit their school during summer break.

“I got a call that was like, ‘Did you know the president was coming to Sherman?’” said Lola Rumpf, one of the eighth graders. Rumpf rallied a group of friends to see the spectacle.

A number of people waiting outside the school said they tried to get tickets in the days leading up to the event but hadn’t known where it would be held or how to register. Some said they’d decided to come anyway to show their support for Biden.

People cheered and chanted “Joe! Joe! Joe!” as the president’s motorcade came around the corner. The cheers faded and the crowd began to dissipate as the motorcade turned into a driveway hidden by the school and those who had gathered to catch a glimpse of Biden realized it wasn’t going to happen.

A much smaller crowd remained as the event got underway. Some of Biden’s supporters watched the livestream on their phones.

Gov. Tony Evers sought to fire up supporters ahead of Biden’s saying the last few years have shown that “Democrats are getting s*** done.”