Biden touts manufacturing agenda at community college while Trump indictment details drop

President Biden sought to offer a contrast in normality Friday, visiting a community college in North Carolina to tout U.S. manufacturing gains even as revelations about his predecessor’s criminal indictment poured in.

“A manufacturing innovation boom is happening all across America, not just in North Carolina,” Biden said at Nash Community College in Rocky Mount.

He took a tour of the Programmable Logic Controlling Lab in the Advanced Manufacturing Building of the college. In his remarks, he said that the students are working on advanced manufacturing, machining and robotics to do “everything from cell phones to rocket ships.”

“Electric systems so you can build everything form electric vehicle parts to the assembly lines they’re carried on. Automotive packaging to ship goods quickly and safely around the world,” he added.

Even as the president praised the community college students, the specific charges against Donald Trump were released, outlining that the former president and Biden’s political rival is facing 37 counts in relation to the mishandling of records. Of the 37, 31 of them are related to the Espionage Act.

Biden maintained throughout the day Friday that he would not be commenting on Trump’s legal perils. 

Following his remarks, he was asked if he had spoken to Attorney General Merrick Garland, prompting him to reiterate that he will not be weighing in on the case.

“I have not spoken to him at all, and I’m not going to speak with him. And I have no comment on that,” Biden said.

The White House said earlier Friday that Biden and his senior staff found out that Trump would be indicted through news reports Thursday evening.

Trump is the front-runner in the Republican presidential primary, which could set up a Biden vs. Trump rematch in 2024.