Biden takes digs at Trump in Midwest trip promoting infrastructure projects

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Looking to shore up his support in the upper Midwest, President Joe Biden visited the Wisconsin-Minnesota border Thursday to showcase the sort of road and bridge improvements that he said his predecessor never accomplished in office.

Biden spoke at a local brewery here that stands to benefit from a planned $1 billion project to replace the more than 60-year-old Blatnik Bridge connecting Superior, Wis., to Duluth, Minn.

His visit was a two-for-one proposition, putting him at the junction of two crucial states that he captured in 2020 and will need to win again if he’s to prevail in an anticipated rematch with former President Donald Trump in November.

“The Midwest is coming back,” Biden said at Earth Rider Brewery, standing in front of a row of stainless steel cylinders used to ferment beer.

As the presidential race barrels toward another Biden-Trump showdown, Democrats are scrambling to address a stubborn reality: Polls show that many voters are dimly aware of Biden's accomplishments thus far.

Biden’s appearance was part of a broader attempt to remind voters that he’s made more progress than they may realize. Funding for the bridge is coming from an infrastructure spending package that he signed in 2021. With 33,000 vehicles crossing the Blatnik Bridge each day, Biden said that local businesses like the brewery are depending on the upgrade to retain customers and accommodate workers.

“It’s outdated in design,” Biden said, mentioning the bridge’s “tight curves, and higher than average car accident rate, and traffic congestion.”

“For decades, people talked about replacing this bridge. But it never got done — until today,” Biden added.

Joel Heller, 47, a Duluth resident who attended the speech, is well