Biden–Absent From Midterm Battlegrounds–Barely Mentions Fetterman At Pennsylvania Event

Biden, speaking at the site of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse (which happened hours before Biden visited Pittsburgh in January), thanked Fetterman for running as he took the stage and told Fetterman’s wife in an apparent gaffe: “You’re gonna be a great lady in the Senate.”

Biden mentioned Fetterman was one of the first officials to respond to the bridge collapse and later referenced him when linking infrastructure investments to middle-class stability, “something John knows a lot about and talks a lot about,” he said in the approximately 13-minute speech.

Fetterman, dressed in a rare suit alongside his wife Gisele, greeted Biden on the tarmac when he deboarded Air Force One and was pictured observing the bridge construction site alongside the president before the speech.

Biden’s Thursday speech seemed to underscore his absence from the campaign trail in lieu of boosting his own hallmark accomplishments as GOP congressional candidates have used his bleak approval ratings to attack Democratic opponents.

Biden, when asked by a reporter why he hasn’t campaigned with more candidates, said “that’s not true. There have been 15. Count, kid, count,” he said as he boarded Air Force One from the White House on Thursday.

Instead of highlighting Fetterman, Biden spoke about federal infrastructure investments in the state, including $25 million for the rebuilding of the Fern Hollow Bridge, the revitalization of streets and sidewalks, and $20 million for a new terminal at the Pittsburgh Airport, in addition to highlighting bipartisan support for his “Building A Better America” infrastructure law.