Biden visits Chicago for fundraiser

CHICAGO — Once again Chicago is in the national political spotlight with President Joe Biden visiting the city to fill up his campaign coffers and supporters stepping up work on this summer’s nominating convention.

On Monday, Biden touched down in Chicago for a high-dollar fundraiser. The visit comes about four months before he returns here to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for another term.

At the convention planning headquarters in the West Loop, staff have been welcoming senior Democratic officials.

Congressman Steven Horsford checked on planning and discussed Biden’s new plan to lower or erase student loan debt for more than 30 million Americans.

Biden administration announces new student debt relief plan for millions of borrowers

“Why is this important? Because it’s the student debt that’s keeping people from starting their lives from buying a home, from starting a business, from starting a family, in some cases,” he said.

Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign announced it raised a staggering $50 million at just one Florida event — although the overall GOP effort this cycle trails the Democrats.

“The contrast is very clear. The president and the vice president have tremendous support, small-dollar donors from all over the country,” Horsford  said. “Meanwhile, the former president, Donald Trump, gets a few of his billionaire friends together because he promised more tax cuts, not for the American people but for billionaires not to pay their fair share.”

Horsford, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, dismissed polling showing a jump in the level of support among Black voters for Trump.

When asked about a recent poll showing the former president doing better among African Americans than in 2020 and 2016, Horsford said: “First, what I say all the time is I’m going to spend more of my energy focusing on the 80—85 percent of Black voters who turnout and who need to understand the consequences of turning out in this election. It’s very important on issues like lowering housing costs, once creating more economic opportunity and prosperity on building wealth not only for ourselves but for our children’s children.”

As Democrats work to spread their message in Chicago, they may have to contend with protestors angry about Biden foreign policy. On Monday, a Palestinian American group wanted to make their voice heard with Biden in town.

The Democratic National Convention Committee is hosting another media walkthrough in late May and in the coming months we’ll get specifics about street closures and security.

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