When Donald Trump visited Old Forge, Pennsylvania, on a campaign stop last week, he touted the idea that Joe Biden "abandoned" his birthplace—Scranton, which was about 15 miles away. Biden was 10 when he moved away from Scranton with his family because his dad had found steady work in Delaware.
Trump has repeatedly floated the notion that Biden somehow slighted Scranton by leaving with his family, saying Biden either abandoned or "deserted" the Pennsylvania town known for its blue collar grit. But when Public Policy Polling (PPP) surveyed Scranton voters, they seemed plenty proud to claim Biden as a native son, with 62% of respondents saying they’re proud Biden is from Scranton.
And per usual, nearly everything Trump says about other people is a projection of his own worst qualities. When PPP surveyed Queens voters about Trump hailing from the New York borough, they were a lot less than thrilled, with just 17% saying they’re proud the Dons is from there. In fact, fully 70% of Queens voters said they were ashamed that Trump hails from their neck of the woods.
The same is true of what voters believe about which candidate abandoned their hometown—only 26% of Scrantonians think Biden abandoned their city, while 66% of voters in Queens think Trump abandoned them.
In terms of being embraced by residents, Biden completely crushes Trump in both cities, with 64% of voters in both Scranton and Queens saying Biden cares about people like them. Just 16% of voters in Queens thinks Trump cares about people like them, while only 27% of voters in Scranton say Trump cares about them.
But New York is going for Biden no matter what. The real question is whether Trump can repeat his narrow victory in the Keystone State, where he edged out Hillary Clinton by less than a point in 2016. Right now, Biden holds a clear advantage of nearly six points, according to the Real Clear Politics average.
So Trump can crow all he wants about Biden supposedly deserting Scranton at the age of 10 when Trump himself, a native New Yorker, formally declared himself a Floridian just last year. Keep talking Trump—you're just as offensive as you ever were and reminding voters of that just months out from the election is ideal.
