Donald Trump's private jet, emblazoned with his last name in bold white letters, was parked nearby when Air Force One landed in Florida, where President Joe Biden labelled his predecessor and potential opponent in this year's campaign as a "loser" while raising money for his reelection on Tuesday.
It was a typical jab from Biden, but it came with extra punch on Trump's home turf. The first fundraiser of the day was held at the Pelican Club in Jupiter, a wealthy enclave less than an hour from Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
"You're the reason Donald Trump's the defeated president," Biden told donors. "And you're the reason we're going to make him a loser again."
Biden said Republicans were determined to undo his administration's progress, such as limiting the cost of insulin and other prescription drugs, and he accused Trump of "threatening our very democracy."
A second fundraiser is scheduled for the evening in Miami. Biden has been buoyed by positive economic news as fears of a recession have faded. Now he's eager to stockpile campaign cash to help him promote his record and target Trump in what is expected to be a grueling and expensive election year.
Although Florida's wealthy donors make the state an important stop for Biden, it's unlikely to swing his way in November. President Barack Obama won Florida in 2008 and 2012, but Trump carried the state in 2016 and 2020.
In addition, Republicans routed Democrats in Florida in the 2022 midterm elections, when they won campaigns for governor, US Senate and other statewide positions by about 20 percentage points across the board. Voter registration, which favored Democrats by 600,000 a little more than a decade ago, now shows Republicans with an 800,000-voter margin.
Biden nevertheless expressed optimism about his chances here. "I think we can win Florida," he said in Jupiter.
