President Donald Trump will continue his outreach across the aisle Wednesday when he flies to Indiana with Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly aboard Air Force One.
It’s the second time this month that the President will travel with a Democrat up for re-election in a state that voted heavily for Trump.
On September 6, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp hitched a ride to her home state of North Dakota, where Trump gave a speech on tax reform.
Along with North Dakota, Trump gave a speech on tax reform in Missouri, home of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, who’s also up for re-election next year in a state that Trump won.
It’s part of a White House strategy to target vulnerable Democrats who could help Republicans push through their tax reform plan. Trump’s speech Wednesday comes the same day that Republicans are set to release some details of their plan.
In a move that suggested he might be open to working with Republicans, Donnelly, along with two other Democrats in the Senate, didn’t sign a letter by the party to Republican leadership with a list of demands on tax reform. Heitkamp and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia — another vulnerable 2018 Democrat — were the other two who didn’t sign.
“It’s an honor to welcome President Trump to Indiana, and I hope he has an opportunity to hear directly from Hoosiers on an issue that impacts not only our families but our economy,” Donnelly said in a statement. “I believe tax reform should include policies that will benefit working and middle class families, create new jobs, and protect existing jobs.”
