politics

Trump will once again be in a courtroom while Biden campaigns.


Former President Donald J. Trump will be in New York once again this week as a criminal defendant while his opponent, President Biden, is on the campaign trail.

The big item on Mr. Biden’s calendar is a speech on reproductive rights on Tuesday in Florida, where Democrats are hoping a proposed constitutional amendment to restore abortion rights will help them after several years in which the state has become reliably Republican. Before that, on Monday, he will give an Earth Day speech in Virginia, and Vice President Kamala Harris will be in La Crosse, Wis.

For Mr. Trump, the center of gravity will remain inside the Manhattan courtroom where he is standing trial on charges that he falsified business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star during the 2016 campaign.

He is required to be present during the proceedings, limiting his ability to campaign. He had planned to hold a rally in North Carolina over the weekend, but it was canceled because of thunderstorms.

Also over the weekend, campaign-finance filings showed that Mr. Trump’s campaign was spending much less than Mr. Biden’s and still had much less cash on hand.

The other political moment on tap this week is the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday. While Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump have long since clinched the presidential nominations, there are a couple House races to watch.

In the 12th District, Representative Summer Lee, a progressive Democrat first elected in 2022, has a pro-Israel challenger. In the First District, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, one of the most moderate Republicans in the House, is facing a primary challenge from an anti-abortion activist.

A couple other primaries could set up interesting general election fights. In the 10th District, there is a Democratic primary to face Representative Scott Perry, a Republican closely involved with Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And in the Seventh, there is a Republican primary to face Representative Susan Wild, a swing-district Democrat.

LEAVE A RESPONSE

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *