President Biden will be in Utah next week. What’s his message?

SALT LAKE CITY — As announced Monday, President Biden will be visiting Utah next week as part of a three-state visit to the Southwest. The President will also be stopping in New Mexico and Arizona during the trip that is scheduled for Aug. 7-10.

What is the message that President Biden is expected to bring to Utah during his trip? Maura Carabello, co-host of KSL at Night and founder of Exoro Group, joined KSL NewsRadio to share some thoughts on why the President is coming to The Beehive State.

 

With the 2024 election a little more than a year out, Carabello says this is an opportunity for the President to push his Infrastructure Act and his Inflation Reduction Act.

“So, I think there’s no doubt about it,” she said. “That he’s using this to tout the Biden’s administration’s record on investment and infrastructure, which he’s hoping is a hybrid message that can even entice a red state like Utah.”

Carabello says Arizona and New Mexico figure to be important for the President’s reelection hopes next year. His stop in Utah, however, will likely be a different story.

“I think what you’re going to find in Utah is what we often see in our small state,” she said. “Probably a really controlled event, right? Not a lot of openings there.”

Biden in Utah: Finding shared values

KSL NewsRadio’s Boyd Matheson asked if the President would use his trip to Utah as a way of finding common ground on issues such as climate control.

“He would be incredibly smart, as you said,” Carabello said. “To come in and show a level of understanding about Western climate. And he would be really smart to outline the incredibly large-shared dynamic that we have here.”

Additionally, Carabello also says if the President comes here and uses language that is considered “fighting words,” he will have missed an opportunity. 

This will be President Biden’s first trip to Utah in seven years. He came to The Beehive State in 2016 as Vice President. First Lady Jill Biden made a brief stop in Salt Lake City in 2021.

“Is this going to a fly-by precursor to a stump speech,” Carabello asked. “Or is he going to really seek to connect with all of us?”

Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app. 

Read more:

• High-speed internet is a necessity, President Biden says, pledging all US will have access by 2030
• Inflation Reduction Act would provide nearly $80 billion for IRS

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