President Joe Biden traveled to North Carolina on Thursday to highlight a new investment in high-speed internet and promote his economic agenda as the incumbent president, who is seeking another four years in the White House, looks to put the Tar Heel State into play this election.
Speaking in Raleigh, the state's capital, Biden announced a $82 million investment that is expected to connect 16,000 households and businesses to high-speed internet. The funding is a part of the administration’s total commitment of $3 billion to ensure everyone in the state has access to affordable internet, according to the White House.
“By the end of the decade, we are going to finish the job reaching all the remaining homes, schools, libraries, small businesses, health care facilities in North Carolina that don’t have access to high-speed internet today,” Biden declared on Thursday. “Universal high-speed internet in all of North Carolina by the end of this decade.”
The administration believes it will be able to connect an additional 300,000 homes and businesses to high-speed internet by the end of 2026 with the investments, which come from Biden’s American Rescue Plan, his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, and the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The goal is to finish the entire state by 2029.
“High-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore. It’s an absolute necessity,” Biden said.
“What we’re doing here in North Carolina is one piece of a much bigger story,” the president said, adding: “I promised to be a president for all Americans – whether you voted for me or not. These investments help all Americans, red states and blue states as well. We’re not leaving anybody behind.”
While his reelection campaign is already underway in earnest, Biden’s trip to the Tar Heel state is an official visit, not a campaign stop. But it comes as the incumbent president has eyes on North Carolina as a potential pickup opportunity for Democrats.
Former President Donald Trump – the incumbent Democrat's likely Republican opponent in November, according to GOP primary polling – edged out Biden in North Carolina in 2020 by 1.34 percentage points. Trump won the state in 2016 as well.
But North Carolina, led by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, is still considered within reach for Democrats and Biden did not hold back in throwing a handful of digs at his predecessor on Thursday.
“He’s the only president to be president for four years and lose jobs,” Biden said of Trump.
North Carolina Republicans in Congress bashed the president’s visit to their state, arguing “Bidenomics” – the moniker used to describe Biden’s economic agenda that the administration used in a major messaging push last year – did not resonate with voters.
“North Carolinians see the truth about Bidenomics: it’s a complete and total failure,” Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“It’s rich that President Biden is in North Carolina today to tout ‘Bidenomics,’” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. said in a post on X. “How many North Carolinians are better off than they were three years ago? Are they better off with out-of-control inflation?”
As he seeks another term occupying the Oval Office, polling shows Biden has struggled to convince voters the economy is better off under his leadership. An ABC News/Ipsos poll released over the weekend found just 31% of respondents approved of Biden’s handling of the issue.
Prices have appeared to persist as a major concern for voters, despite inflation cooling in recent months from the four-decade high it reached in June 2022.
Biden on Thursday sought to emphasize how his policies are saving North Carolina families money. The administration says 885,000 households in the state are saving up to $30 a month on internet bills thanks to the president’s Affordable Connectivity Program.
Nationwide, the administration says the program has helped more than 22 million Americans save $30-$75 per month. The White House is calling on Congress to renew funding for the program, which is set to run out in April.