Biden quietly campaigns in Pennsylvania with John Fetterman

by · Mail Online

President Joe Biden quietly campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh Saturday alongside Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman

Biden's trip was announced by the White House with very few details shared and was left off the Harris-Walz campaign's 'day ahead for Saturday,' which included the whereabouts of Harris, her VP pick, Gov. Tim Walz, their spouses and other surrogates. 

For Pennsylvania, the campaign mentioned that surrogate Mark Cuban was also in Pittsburgh, Sen. Bernie Sanders was in Erie, and celebs Kerry WashingtonRobert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio were all in Philly. 

But there wasn't a peep about Biden, nor Fetterman, whose vocal support for Israel amid the war in Gaza has suddenly made him unpopular with the party's far-left, despite his progressive appeal when he won his Senate seat two years ago. 

Still, Biden got a positive reception when he appeared in front of LiUNA union workers at a small venue downtown - and later when he brought pies from Fiori's Pizzaria to phone bank volunteers at another union HQ. 

'I feel good about Pennsylvania, we're going to win Pennsylvania,' the president said there. 

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (center) photobombed a selfie President Joe Biden (second from right) was taking with a phone-banking volunteer Saturday at Steamfitters Technology Center in Pittsburgh 

As soon as Biden got off the plane, Fetterman greeted him - sporting his trademark gym shorts and a hoodie - with a hug and then had the group, which included former Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb, take a selfie. 

The selfie-fest for Fetterman continued at the LiUNA union building, located in the downtown theater arts district, and then at the Central Labor Council, where volunteers were doing phone-banking. 

Pennsylvania is practically a must-win state for Harris or former President Donald Trump - with Fetterman predicting earlier this week that he expected the race to be extremely tight. 

After Biden handed off his pizza to be served to the volunteers, he worked the small room where the top phone-bankers had been gathered.  

A female volunteer showed the president a selfie they had previously taken together and the president said they needed a new one. 

As Biden held up the camera, Fetterman creeped in the back, photobombing the picture. 

The president being relegated to small venues and niche audiences - on Friday he addressed Native Americans in Arizona for official business, but in a key swing state - is drastically different than how he's been utilized in past campaign cycles. 

Biden used to be the Democrat sent out to swing states like Pennsylvania - where he can also boast about being born in Scranton - to help shore up support among working class white men, a group that has run toward Trump's MAGA movement. 

Sen. John Fetterman (right) takes a selfie with (from left) Sen. Chris Deluzio, President Joe Biden, Pennsylvania State Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and former Rep. Conor Lamb when Biden arrived to Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday 
Pennsylvnia Sen. John Fetterman (right) takes a selfie with LiUNA union workers at an event in downtown Pittsburgh Saturday with President Joe Biden in support of Vice President Kamala Harris 

But with his low approval ratings and propensity for gaffes, he's largely been sidelined with just 10 days to go. 

During a gaggle Thursday on board Air Force One, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if it was 'odd' that the president hadn't done any campaign event all week. 

He had taken an official trip to New Hampshire  - that made headlines when he said 'lock him up' about Trump, quickly clarifying that he meant 'politically' - and was headed to Phoenix to apologize to Native American communities about the federal government's policy of forcibly sending their children to boarding schools. 

'I wouldn't interpret it as odd at all,' Jean-Pierre answered. 'Look the president has been out there. He has campaigned. He's campaigned with her.'

'We will have more to share. I'm - I'm - I am telling you, we will have more to share on what the president is going to do,' the press secretary said.