Joe Biden has said it is time to ditch the nasty nickname for the Midwest as he touted his plans to turbocharge the US semiconductor sector in Ohio.
The President said he wants to bury the term ‘Rust Belt’ and start calling it the ‘Silicon Heartland’ during a speech at Intel’s $20billion factory.
He referred to it as a ‘field of dreams’ and assured locals cash would be pumped into the expansive area.
Biden was in Licking County, near Columbus, to tour the huge factory that is touted as part of the solution to relying on China for millions of semiconductors.
Overall, the trip was a victory lap for the president, who steered a bipartisan bill through Congress to put $52 billion into the U.S. chip industry.
President Joe Biden said Friday it was time to ditch the nasty nickname for the Midwest, as he touted his plans to turbocharge the US semiconductor sector in Ohio
President Joe Biden walks through a field of heavy machinery before delivering remarks in Licking County, Ohio Friday
President Joe Biden (right) walks alongside Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (left) at the building site in Licking County, Ohio where the company is constructing a $20billion semiconductor facility
President Joe Biden greets workers at the groundbreaking for Intel’s new Ohio semiconductor facility Friday
President Joe Biden walks by the ‘Made In America’ motto during his appearance at a groundbreaking for a new Intel semiconductor plant in Ohio
President Joe Biden (right), along with Rep. Joyce Beatty, listens to Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger describe the plans for Intel’s new semiconductor facility
Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine (right), alongside wife Fran (left), arrives at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Intel semiconductor manufacturing plan in Licking County, Ohio
President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One as he arrives at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware after his trip to Ohio. He’ll be spending part of the weekend in Wilmington
‘It’s time to bury the term Rust Belt and call it, as Pat says, the Silicon Heartland,’ the president said, referencing Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, who gave him a tour of the active worksite in Licking County, near Columbus.
Biden – and a number of both Democratic and Republican elected officials – attended the groundbreaking for Intel’s state-of-the-art $20billion semiconductor facility around lunchtime Friday.
‘The industrial Midwest is back,’ Biden proclaimed. ‘That’s what you’ll see in this field of dreams.’
Heavy machinery kept working throughout the president’s speech.
Biden said there’s ‘kind of a tradition here’ about innovation coming from the Buckeye State.
‘The Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn – they defined America’s spirit, the spirit of daring innovation,’ Biden said.
The president gave shout-outs to both retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman and the state’s GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, who is running for re-election against Democrat Nan Whaley.
‘I want to thank Rob Portman for being the gentleman and the decent man that he is and for showing that Democrats and Republicans can work together to get big things done for our country. I really mean it,’ Biden said. ‘You’re leaving a h**l of a legacy as you leave.’
To DeWine he joked, ‘Thanks for the passport to get to the state, guv, appreciate it.’
Biden also name-dropped Democratic Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, who’s seeking the state’s open Senate state, being vacated by Portman.
Prior to Biden’s arrival, Ryan told Youngtown’s WFMJ station that he was ‘campaigning as an independent.’
And then, when asked if Biden should run for re-election, Ryan – who is 49 years old and briefly ran for president in 2020 – answered: ‘My hunch is that we need new leadership across the board, Democrats, Republicans, I think it’s time for like a generational move.’
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Ryan’s comments on Air Force One Friday morning on the flight to Ohio and refused to engage.
‘I’ll just let Congressman Tim Ryan speak to that and explain that further,’ Jean-Pierre told reporters.
‘As you know congressman Tim Ryan is going to be attending along with several other elected officials from across the aisle will be joining us as well, because this is something … that is critically important to our economy and to our national security,’ the press secretary added.
President Joe Biden arrived in Ohio Friday morning, where he will speak about his plans to turbocharge the US semiconductor sector
President Joe Biden (center) speaks with Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther (right) and his wife Shannon Ginther (left) as he arrived at the Columbus International Airport Friday morning
President Joe Biden arrives at Joint Base Andrews Friday morning to take Air Force One to Licking County, Ohio
President Joe Biden gives a finger gun salute to those on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews Friday morning
President Joe Biden spoke with well-wishers as he departed the White House for Ohio Friday morning
Later, on-site at the Intel event, Ryan told reporters, ‘The president said from the very beginning he was going to be a bridge to the next generation, which is basically what I was saying.’
But when asked if Biden should run again, Ryan wasn’t definitive.
‘That’s up to him,’ the Ohio Democrat said.
During his remarks, Biden thanked Ryan for his leadership and for ‘always representing working people.’
Overall, the trip was a victory lap for the president, who steered a bipartisan bill through Congress to put $52 billion into the U.S. semiconductor industry – as a way to compete with China.
Additionally, Intel announced nearly $18million the company plans to invest in Ohio colleges and universities to put toward workforce development.
President Joe Biden walks across the South Lawn to Marine One Friday morning, departing for a trip to Ohio to talk about the American semiconductor industry
President Joe Biden walks out onto the South Lawn Friday morning as he departed for a day trip to Ohio
‘This includes partnering with community colleges across Ohio, the state’s oldest historically Black university, and other institutions to train thousands of workers to work in Ohio’s growing semiconductor industry,’ a senior administration official said.
Intel and the National Science Foundation will invest $100 million to go toward similar programs across the country.
The company had started investing money into an Ohio-based facility as the CHIPS bill worked its way through Congress.
The White House said Thursday the facility will be built by union labor, creating more than 7,000 construction jobs – and will create 3,000 full-time jobs producing semiconductors.
The trip to Ohio comes as campaigning for the midterms has kicked off in earnest.
While Ohio has been friendly to Republicans in recent years – former President Donald Trump won the state over Hillary Clinton and Biden – the Senate race is surprisingly competitive.
Ryan is giving Republican J.D. Vance, the author of the widely read Hillbilly Elegy, a run for his money.
FiveThirtyEight.com has Ryan ahead in its polling index by 1.9 percent – within the margin of error in surveys.
DeWine recently received an endorsement from Trump despite the ex-president initially trying to recruit a Republican to run in a primary against the Ohio governor.
During an appearance on CNN, DeWine acknowledged that Biden had won the 2020 election and encouraged Trump to engage in a peaceful transition of power.
‘Biden’s agenda has crushed Ohio families and small businesses, and Democrat Tim Ryan’s priority, aside from rubberstamping Biden’s failed agenda, is banning gasoline-powered vehicles,’ Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said in a statement. ‘In November, voters will ensure Biden-Democrat Tim Ryan is nowhere near the Senate, as Ohio is ready to elect a leader like J.D. Vance.’
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