Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Joe Biden will be visiting Ohio on Friday, the state where midterm elections may play a critical role in determining the control of Congress. He plans to encourage manufacturing job growth there and change the Republican narrative that says the economy is in trouble under his supervision.

Biden’s fifth visit to Ohio since January 2021 when he assumed office will be at United Performance Metals in Cincinnati. He will announce an initiative encouraging large businesses to adopt the new technology of additive manufacturing.

3D printing allows for complex shapes to be created using layers made from metal and plastic. This technology is seen by the Administration as the type of innovation that will allow U.S. companies to thrive and create job opportunities.

AM Forward is a voluntary initiative in which businesses sign an agreement to expand their use of technology and rely more heavily on U.S.-based suppliers.

GE Aviation, Siemens Energy Lockheed Martin The initial participants were (NYSE:), according to the official.

According to the White House, Biden will also make use of the trip to contact Congress and ask them to approve the Bipartisan Innovation Bill, which seeks to increase manufacturing, especially the production semiconductor chips.

Biden faces headwinds while he tries help fellow Democrats to thwart a Republican takeover in the U.S. Congress during the November midterm election.

The 40-year-old high inflation and the soaring gasoline prices have weighed down Biden’s approval ratings for job openings. Republicans also frequently criticize Biden’s economic management. Trump won Ohio in 2016, and 2020 partly because of the appeal he made to Rust Belt voters who are tired of watching jobs disappear.

Democrats offer voters an alternative perspective by pointing out the strong job growth that Biden has facilitated, which is something President Obama will likely emphasize in his comments.

White House stated that Obama would discuss “building upon the 473,000 manufacturing job created since he assumed office, which is more jobs per month than any other president during the last 50-years.”

Recent statements by Biden have been more outlandish as he gears up for five months of mid-term campaigning. Trump’s loyal supporters were harshly attacked by Biden on Wednesday. He used the MAGA acronym, which stands for Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan to address them.

Biden declared at the White House, “This MAGA group is really the most extremist political organization that has existed in recent American History,” promoting deficit cuts that he had achieved.

Ohio is undergoing intense campaigning in advance of the midterms. Trump-backed Republican J.D. Vance won the nomination to a U.S. Senate spot while Democratic incumbent Representative Shontel brown defeated Nina Turner, a progressive candidate for the U.S. congressional District that also includes Cleveland.