Joe Biden's Gas Station Visit Mocked by Conservatives

Joe Biden's stop at a Sheetz gas station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while on his way to deliver remarks in the city was mocked by conservatives on social media who claimed the visit failed to excite those present at the scene.

Sharing a clip of the Democratic president entering the Pittsburgh-area Sheetz to buy sandwiches for construction workers, conservative news website Red Voice Media wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Notice everyone's excitement. [face with rolling eyes emoji] Compare this with literally anywhere Donald Trump goes."

In the video, Biden can be seen smiling at a family with two young children and greeting employees at the cash register. The president then can be seen going behind the cashier and taking photos with the employees before leaving the gas station carrying the purchased box of snacks.

Newsweek contacted the White House for comment by email on Thursday morning.

Another user who describes themselves as a "Christian, conservative, MAGA patriot," shared the clip of Biden at the Pittsburgh's gas station next to footage of Donald Trump arriving in Harlem, New York, on Tuesday and being received by a cheering crowd chanting "Trump, Trump, Trump."

Trump's visit to the Sanaa Convenient Store in Harlem came one day after the beginning of the hush money criminal trial against him in New York, which started the jury selection process on Monday.

The choice of the place was somehow symbolic: Trump appeared to his supporters outside the bodega where a clerk, Jose Alba, fatally stabbed a customer, Austin Simon, who was attacking him in 2022. Alba was charged with second-degree murder by Alvin Bragg, who's now leading Trump's first prosecution, but the charges were later dropped after an investigation into the incident.

Trump's first campaign stop—which, unlike Biden's surprise stop at the gas station, was expected—since the beginning of the hush money trial wasn't without controversy. Together with the adoring crowd hoping to see a glimpse of the embattled former president was a group of protesters reportedly shouting "Dump Trump" and jeering him.

The two presidential candidates are officially kicking off their 2024 campaigns with in-person visits to what they consider crucial states in the November election that's widely expected to be a rematch between the two.

Trump visited Pennsylvania last weekend, days before Biden kicked off his multi-city tour of the state starting from his hometown of Scranton. On Wednesday, he visited Pittsburgh and on Thursday he's expected to make a campaign stop in Philadelphia.

With its 19 electoral votes, the most of any swing state in the country, Pennsylvania is going to be extremely important for both candidates on November 5. Three of the latest polls compiled by polling website FiveThirtyEight have Biden ahead of Trump by a few percentage points in the state; five others see the Democratic president trailing his Republican rival, though by a smaller margin.

In 2016, Pennsylvania voted for Trump, who won by fewer than 45,000 votes over Hillary Clinton; in 2020, Biden won by less than 80,000 votes over Trump.

After purchasing the sandwiches for the construction workers on Wednesday, Biden stopped at the construction site of the Pittsburgh International Airport to drop them off and shake hands with workers. Sheetz responded to the president's surprise visit by issuing a statement: "Everyone loves a good Sheetz Run, even the President of the United States."