Biden Goes To Wisconsin After Delivering His First State Of The Union Speech

U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews for travel to Superior, Wisconsin, in Maryland, U.S. March 2, 2022. Reuters / EVELYN HOCKSTEIN

President Joe Biden visited the battleground state of Wisconsin on Wednesday to tout the roads and bridges that will be built after the passage of his bipartisan infrastructure law while top administration officials traveled to other states to push his economic agenda.

On Tuesday, Democrat Biden delivered his first State of the Union speech, which was dominated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He assailed Russian President Vladimir Putin, barred Russian flights from American airspace and led Democratic and Republican lawmakers in a rare display of unity.

Asked if Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, should leave Ukraine or stay out, Biden told reporters on Wednesday morning, "I think it's his judgment to make." He also said that banning oil and gas imports from Russia was not off the table.

Wisconsin, a hotly contested state because its population can swing either to Democrats or Republicans, helped secure Biden's 2020 victory. He planned to visit the city of Superior along with first lady Jill Biden.

Other administration officials fanned out around the country to promote Biden's domestic agenda. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the swing state of North Carolina on Wednesday along with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, where they visited an apprentice training program for union electrical workers.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was visiting Chicago to promote Biden's economic agenda, including investments in child care and education.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was going to Kentucky to tour a solar farm and participate in a roundtable discussion about clean energy investments. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan planned to push investments in water infrastructure during a trip to South Carolina.

The U.S. midterm elections are a few months away and Democrats believe chances are slim they will retain a narrow majority in both houses of Congress. All 435 members of the House are up for re-election in 2022, as are one-third of the members of the U.S. Senate, including Democrats in competitive districts in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada.

Less than half of Americans approve of Biden, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The national opinion poll, conducted Feb. 28-March 1, found that 43% of U.S. adults approved of Biden's performance in office while 54% disapproved and the rest were not sure. The president's approval numbers have hovered below 50% since August.