Joe Biden 2024 kickoff counters Donald Trump with focus on economy & wealthy

President Joe Biden called for new taxes on the wealthy and corporations and warned Republicans would roll back policies he argued had saved the US economy, setting out core themes as he kicked off his re-election campaign.

Biden didn’t mention Donald Trump during a Saturday rally with union members in Philadelphia. Instead, the president contrasted his platform with his twice-indicted Republican rival’s agenda.

It’s a sign Biden wants to put populist economic issues rather than legal controversies at the center of his pitch for a second term.


“It's time for millionaires and billionaires and big corporations to pay their fair share. I can get that done, but I need you badly. So are you with me?” Biden told the crowd of cheering union workers inside Philadelphia's convention center.

The president touted his domestic achievements and argued they've fuelled economic growth, a hot jobs market and gains for the middle class. He cited laws passed during his first two years in office including a climate, health and tax package and new funding for infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing.

“Folks, this didn't just happen. We made it happen,” Biden said, adding that most Republicans “oppose everything I've done and most want to get rid of it all. So we got a fight in our hands.”

If Republicans win back power and repeal funding for new roads, bridges and clean energy projects, Biden warned the union workers, it means “they're coming for your jobs.”