The contrast between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump continues to be obvious in the lead-up to their showdown in the November election.
While Biden is received in public by relatively small and unenthused crowds, Trump is met with chanting, applause and crowds literally being held back behind barriers. This stark difference was painfully obvious when Biden made his way into Sheetz, a convenience store in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.
Biden was heading to Pittsburgh International Airport to board Air Force One after giving a speech at the United Steelworkers Headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported The United Steelworkers have endorsed Biden for re-election, as he sided with them in opposition to Japanese steel company Nippon Steel Corp.'s proposal to buy U.S. Steel, which is based out of Pittsburgh, for $14.9 billion.
Before reaching the airport, Biden decided to make a stop at Sheetz convenience store, where he bought sandwiches for construction workers who were building a new terminal at the airport. After shaking hands with employees and taking pictures, Biden awkwardly attempted to answer questions from the press, then shuffled out.
Biden visit a Sheetz gas station in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/x0ba0UQHFJ
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) April 17, 2024
While Biden met with patrons and employees alike, traffic at Sheetz seemed typical for a Wednesday.
While the Pittsburgh Post Gazette also reported that Biden was flanked by Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, the overall response to his presence seemed incredibly tame for a sitting president only a few months away from his re-election bid.
Although it was a massive flop, Biden's choice of a Sheetz to meet Pittsburghers was strategic.
On Tuesday evening, Trump had visited a bodega in Harlem, New York, where he was met with cheering, energetic crowds.
Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan began on Monday, with District Attorney Alvin Bragg charging him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Chants of "We love Trump!" were heard as crowds packed in to see him.
Chants of “WE LOVE TRUMP!” break out as Trump visits a bodega in Harlem.pic.twitter.com/fVwkLHUr9r
— GOP (@GOP) April 17, 2024
Unlike Biden, whose audience at Sheetz seemed to be mostly coincidental patrons going about their day, Trump was met with a crowd of people who were clearly there to voice their support.
Flippin genius.
President Trump leaves NY starchamber show-trial and stops at bodega in Harlem.
The crowd loves him.
(Credit @RSBNetwork) pic.twitter.com/jHJYPxWxpB
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) April 16, 2024
This wasn't just any bodega. This was the "Jose Alba bodega" where, in 2022, a worker named Jose Alba fatally stabbed an assailant who came behind the counter to attack him. Alba was arrested and charged with murder by Bragg.
After being sent to Ryker's Island jail with a bail of $250,000, Alba's charges were eventually dropped due to public outcry.
In a clip from the "Greg Kelly Report" on Newsmax posted to X, Trump spoke about the situation involving bodegas and rampant crime. “The Bodegas, the association, invited me. I respect them, and they respect me. They want law and order -- they have a lot of crime, tremendous crime, where their stores are being robbed.”
Remember the man who defended himself 2 years ago and Alvin Bragg arrested and charged him? Trump pays a visit to the same bodega and is treated as a hero.
Love us some Trump! Make NY safe again. pic.twitter.com/mi6Q4sFjRx
— SweetPeaBelle (@SweetPeaBell326) April 17, 2024
For his countless criticisms of Trump, clearly Biden tried to take a page out of his book for his Sheetz appearance.
However, the differences are obvious.
Where Biden stumbled into relative quiet in something you couldn't even call a crowd, Trump was met with cheers, applause and handshakes on packed streets.
