President Joe Biden ended a long day in Scranton with campaign volunteers.
The supporters sat at tables in the Carpenters and Joiners Union Hall in the city's South Side. They filled out posters that asked “I’m on board because …”
The last time Biden was at the hall was the morning of Election Day 2020.
Megan Bell Giroux is the daughter of Biden's childhood friend, Tommy Bell. She told the volunteers about the president's family and his purpose for public life.
Her dad, Tommy Bell, met the president as a kindergartner at St. Paul’s School in Scranton. They kept in touch throughout the years.
“These stories and the boys who starred in them formed not only the foundation of a lifelong friendship, but also molded a young boy named Joseph R. Biden Jr. who went on to his historical political success, but never ever truly left Scranton, his friends and family," she said.
Bell wasn’t at the event.
Giroux commended the campaign volunteers and union members for standing with Biden. She said her family always stood with the president for three reasons: “faith, family and friendship.”
"Quite simply, his formative years as a young boy at 2446 North Washington Avenue fueled his fire to protect American families in the Senate and White House for the past 50 years," she said.
Biden thanked the carpenters union for being loyal to him throughout his entire career. He talked about his time in Scranton and meeting his first wife in the Bahamas. He reiterated why he ran for president and that the United State is the world leader.
"The vast majority of American people just want an even chance, just a shot ... and it breaks down everything from taxes to philosophy," he said. "And with your help, I've been able to get a lot done that no one thought could get done. We've been able to get a lot done."
After Biden's campaign speech at the Scranton Cultural Center, the president visited his childhood home on North Washington Avenue. It was the first time he’d been back to the house since the owner and longtime friend and supporter, Anne Kearns, died in December.
He spent more than an hour inside. Afterward, the president walked down the driveway hand-in-hand with children, three on either side. He greeted a group of supporters on the front lawn. One said to the president, “we need you Joe.”
Residents stood on the city streets with cell phones out to capture Biden’s drive through Scranton and Dunmore. The motorcade drove past his favorite sandwich shop, Hank’s Hoagies, and the way to the union hall.
Biden was met at every stop by protesters calling for a cease fire in Palestine and Trump supporters.
