With Hillary Clinton sidelined by pneumonia, President Barack Obama took up the Democrats’ fight against Donald Trump on Tuesday, trying to quash the Republican presidential candidate’s bid to appeal to working-class voters.
Mr. Obama, whose 50 per cent job approval rating could help improve the climate for the Democratic ticket in the Nov. 8 election, rallied party faithful against Mr. Trump at an outdoor event in Philadelphia.
“This is a guy who spent 70 years on this earth showing no concern for working people. He spent most of his life trying to stay far away from working people. He wasn’t going to let you on his golf course,” Mr. Obama said.
Mr. Obama’s campaign appearance was his first as a solo act on behalf of Ms. Clinton as he tries to ensure Democrats retain control of the White House once his eight years are over in January. He lauded new census numbers on income growth as proof that his administration’s policies have helped improve the economy, an attempt to undermine Mr. Trump’s argument that economic woes are deep.
Ms. Clinton, who was Mr. Obama’s Secretary of State during his first term, rested at her home in the New York City suburb of Chappaqua, as she recovers from pneumonia. She is to return to the campaign trail on Thursday, her spokesman Nick Merrill said on Tuesday evening.
Mr. Trump appeared at a campaign event in suburban Philadelphia after Mr. Obama departed, touting proposals that would allow families to deduct child-care expenses from their income taxes and establish paid maternity leave for women whose employers do not offer it. With his daughter Ivanka at his side, Mr. Trump also appeared to support equal pay for women, traditionally a core issue for Democrats.
