(CNN) 鈥� Former President , in keeping with his preference for shunning traditional debate prep, will spend his last Saturday before his first with President out on the campaign trail.
Trump addressed a gathering of Christian conservatives Saturday afternoon in Washington, DC, touching upon his familiar campaign messages while emphasizing his efforts to undo the federal right to an abortion by nominating the justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. Later Saturday, he will travel to Philadelphia for a more traditional campaign rally in a key battleground state.
The back-to-back public appearances stand in stark contrast to Biden鈥檚 approach to the first of two presidential debates. The president and his team are spending the weekend before the debate at Camp David, poring over briefing binders and holding mock debate sessions as he crams for his high-stakes meeting with Trump.
While Trump has held informal briefing sessions with advisers and allies, he has also kept up an active campaign schedule. He in Racine, Wisconsin, on Tuesday and attended a fundraiser Thursday night in Ohio.
Trump鈥檚 campaign is relishing the juxtaposition of the two candidates鈥� preparation styles.
鈥淲hile Joe Biden鈥檚 advisors force him to hide away at Camp David for some much-needed rest, President Trump is keeping up with his busy campaign schedule,鈥� Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
Saturday鈥檚 gathering in the nation鈥檚 capital is the annual 鈥淩oad to Majority鈥� conference hosted by the Faith & Freedom Coalition, a group founded by leading evangelical voice Ralph Reed. Trump has addressed the conference nine times over the years, though his appearance Saturday comes as he tries to distance himself from the strident anti-abortion positions of Christian groups 鈥� like Faith & Freedom.
After arguing for a federal abortion ban and leading the charge to overturn Roe v. Wade, future fights over access to the procedure should be left to the states. His reversal on abortion comes after Trump blamed the issue for the GOP鈥檚 underwhelming midterm performance in 2022 and before his party will vote on its first platform since the fall of Roe at its convention next month.
Reed told CNN he doesn鈥檛 believe Trump鈥檚 position is at odds with faith voters.
鈥淭he president鈥檚 position simply reflects the short term political reality for both sides,鈥� he said. 鈥淣either side has the votes to pass federal legislation that reflects their values and aspirations.鈥�
Reed added: 鈥淭he long-term political reality is whoever wins that battle at the state level will build the momentum and gain the votes to achieve what they want at the federal level.鈥�
Democrats have campaigned aggressively and spent millions of dollars reminding voters of Trump鈥檚 role in eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion. The Biden campaign slammed Trump鈥檚 appearance at the Washington聽event as proof of where he stands on the issue.
鈥淵ou are the company you keep,鈥� Biden campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika said, 鈥渁nd Donald Trump鈥檚 position is clear: he 鈥榩roudly鈥� worked alongside extremists to overturn Roe, he promised to work 鈥榮ide by side鈥� with a group promising to 鈥榚radicate鈥� abortion, and this Saturday, he鈥檒l deliver the keynote address to fellow extremists committed to banning abortion nationwide.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 rally in Philadelphia on Saturday evening marks his fourth appearance in Pennsylvania this year as the race for one of the top battlegrounds heats up.
The Trump campaign has sought to drive a wedge between Biden and his birth state by hammering the president over inflation and crime.
鈥淭he great people of Pennsylvania are feeling the effects of Biden鈥檚 failed policies where it hurts the most 鈥� their wallets,鈥� the Trump campaign said in a statement announcing the rally.
Southeast Pennsylvania has become a hotbed of activity from both presidential campaigns. Trump held a rally in Lehigh Valley in April, and in February, at SneakerCon in Philadelphia as part of his outreach to minority communities.
Biden won 92% of Black voters in Pennsylvania four years ago en route to capturing the state 鈥� key to his overall victory. But a recent poll from the The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College found his support in the state among Black voters had fallen to 50%.
Ahead of Trump鈥檚 Saturday rally, the Democratic National Committee unveiled new ads it says are aimed at highlighting 鈥淭rump鈥檚 history of failing Black Americans and how he鈥檚 left the Black community behind.鈥� The counter-messaging push comes as polls show that Black men to supporting the Republican nominee in this year鈥檚 election than they have historically been.
Along with a billboard in Philadelphia, the DNC will also have a mobile billboard circling聽the former president鈥檚聽rally highlighting the higher unemployment rates for Black Americans under the Trump administration compared with the Biden administration and Trump鈥檚 tax cuts that benefited wealthier Americans. The committee will have 鈥減ro-Biden kiosks鈥� around Temple University, where Trump鈥檚 rally is being held, that highlight the student loan debt relief and increase in public education funding delivered under the Biden administration.
鈥淒onald Trump was a disaster for minority communities 鈥� particularly Black Americans. He says he鈥檚 not racist, but his record says differently. Over and over again, he has insulted cities with significant Black communities, and during his time in office, jobs disappeared, unemployment more than doubled for Black Americans during the pandemic, and his tax scam widened the racial wealth gap,鈥� DNC spokesperson Abhi Rahman said in a statement.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN鈥檚 Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
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