President Joe Biden hopped across a pair of Sun Belt swing states on Tuesday, making stops in Nevada and Arizona. Though the latter of the two states was holding its primary on March 19, this visit may have been less about getting out the vote Tuesday than getting out the vote in about eight months.
Biden spoke at a White House event Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas, continuing his hard-sell of his administration’s successes for voters and the economy, with an emphasis on relieving housing pressures across the country.
According to pool reporters, large red boards flanked the stage, reading "President Joe Biden Lowering Housing Costs," and the speakers ahead of him — including Juan Pablo Leos Soria, a member of the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Union Local 797, who called Biden the "most pro-union president ever" — impressed the need for affordable housing.
"Housing is so much more than just a word — it’s about people’s lives," Biden said.
His Tuesday speech was partially a reiteration of the White House’s plan to increase housing supply and lower housing costs.
The White House says that the American Rescue Plan has provided $1 billion to boost affordable housing and lower housing costs in Nevada, including $700 million in affordable housing and senior housing stock.
"But we still have a lot more to do. For too many people that dream of having a good home, this still feels out of reach," Biden said Tuesday.
He once again boosted his plan to provide Americans with an annual tax mortgage relief tax credit, as well as a credit for affordable starter homes, as well as down payment assistance for first-generation homeowners.
He also called for real estate agents to lower commissions on home sales, addressed the historical legacy of racial housing value disparities and spoke on the White House’s efforts to fight rent gouging and price fixing by corporate landlords.
"Landlords should be competing to give folks the best deal not conspiring to charge them more," Biden said.
Housing affordability figures to be an important factor in the 2024 election, a recent survey suggested.
The balance of his speech reiterated his general campaign speech, including the White House’s actions to lower prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients and his promise to make billionaires "pay their fair share" in taxes.
The campaign has placed an emphasis on building coalitions, especially with and among Latino voters in each state. Arizona, in particular, is expected to be a battleground state with tight margins again in 2024 — Biden beat Trump by about 11,000 votes in 2020, and the Latino vote will be critical to a repeat victory.
Tuesday night, Biden took to a campaign event at Phoenix’s El Portal Mexican restaurant, a designated historical site that has for decades been a Latino community gathering space in south Phoenix.
The event, White House press pool reporters noted, kicked off an effort called "Latinos con Biden-Harris," with Biden-Harris Campaign Manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez saying that Latinos "sent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House the first time, and we’re gonna do it again in 2024."
Biden spent the event praising Latino members of his administration, and pointing out former President Donald Trump’s derogatory comments about Latino migrants.
He also agreed with his campaign manager, telling the crowd they are the reason, in large part, that he beat Trump in 2020.
"I need you badly," Biden said.
After Biden ended his remarks, Arizona Democratic Party chair Yolanda Bejarano spoke to reporters, at one point addressing why Trump appeals to Latino voters: because he’s entertaining.
"People like laugh at his rallies, you know, it's like they're going to a circus. They're listening to him just joke about things — very, very serious things," Bejarano said. "We just need to be very, very focused and you know, make sure that Latinos understand exactly who Donald Trump is and what a danger he presents to us."