“Joe Biden can’t hide from his track record of failures and broken promises that have caused crisis after crisis, from skyrocketing prices to rising violent crime,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement about the Connecticut trip.
The president’s campaign blitz began Wednesday, when he spoke at the League of Conservation Voters’ annual fundraising dinner. He received an early endorsement from the group’s political arm, along with the backing of three other leading climate organizations: NRDC Action Fund, Sierra Club and NextGen PAC. It marked the first time the four have jointly backed a presidential candidate.
Gun control plaudits
On Friday, the president went to West Hartford, Conn., to speak to activists at a gun violence prevention summit hosted by Sen. Christopher S. Murphy. The Connecticut Democrat wasted no time reminding the audience of Biden’s long advocacy for stricter gun control laws.
Murphy applauded Biden for beating the National Rifle Association when he helped push an assault weapons ban through Congress almost 30 years ago. Murphy also credited Biden with seizing the moment after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y., last year.
The law he signed, dubbed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, was the first significant gun violence prevention measure to win approval in almost three decades. It provides funding for youth mental health programs and school security and makes it more difficult for people with mental illness to obtain firearms. In votes a year ago this week, the bill received support from 15 Republicans in the Senate, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and 14 Republicans in the House.