Biden visited Pa. on Sunday. Here are three key takeaways from his trip

President Joe Biden came to Philadelphia on Sunday for his first visit since his lackluster June 27 debate.

Biden’s appearances in Philly, and later in the day in Harrisburg, drew the attention of a few protesters while highlighting visible support from top Democratic leaders in the Commonwealth, and showing off Biden’s comfort in places of worship.

The visit was one in a series of public appearances scheduled in the aftermath of the debate. Before stopping in Pennsylvania, the president held a rally in Madison, Wisconsin and was interviewed by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos — his first televised interview since the debate.

Here are some key takeaways from Biden’s Sunday visit.

It’s not often that campaign events are met with opposition that is actually friendly. At former President Donald Trump’s rally in Philadelphia in June, for example, the protesters gathered outside The Liacouras Center had nothing nice to say.

But in this case, a small group of individuals stood outside the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in up to 95 degree weather, to tell Biden that it’s time to withdraw from the race. In one instance, Peter Lehu from Mount Airy held a sign that said “Thank you Joe, but time to go.”

The appreciation and respect for Biden coexists with many Democrats’ fears that Biden’s presence in the race will lead to a second Trump presidency. Most people inside the church on Sunday seemed to be in support of Biden continuing his bid.

The small group of protesters joins a growing cohort of Democratic officials calling for Biden to drop out of the race after his debate performance.

Wayne Eastman, of Orange, New Jersey, held a 2024-2025 calendar with the words “Pass the torch” written on it. He said that he was inspired to protest after seeing individuals in Wisconsin hold similar signs outside of Biden’s appearance there.

He added that he isn’t particularly invigorated to vote, but found some excitement in the names that have been thrown around to replace Biden if he does leave the race.

“The other names I’ve heard, like Gov. [Josh] Shapiro, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Gov. Gavin Newsom, sign me up,” Eastman said. “This is an all-hands on deck thing for the Democratic Party. We’ve got to figure this out.”

Biden’s visit to Pennsylvania brought out visible support from top state and city leaders even as Democratic leaders from other states called on him to cease his campaign.

Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman were among the first to greet Biden once he landed in Philadelphia on Sunday. The two senators have vocalized their support for the president even as their congressional colleagues — even those in the Pennsylvania Democratic Congressional delegation — reveal worries about Biden’s electability.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker also joined leaders to welcome Biden at the airport. Parker, a strong surrogate for Biden, attended his State of the Union address as a guest in March and has joined him at other previous outings.

After his stop at the church and a campaign office in Manayunk, Biden made a visit to Harrisburg where he eventually met with Gov. Josh Shapiro at Denim Coffee. Shapiro has offered many clear statements of support for the president, though he was one of the first to acknowledge Biden’s bad debate performance.

Shapiro has been floated as a name to potentially replace Biden as the Democratic nominee should Biden drop out of the race, but it’s unlikely.

The visible and outward support of Biden from prominent Democrats in the state could prove crucial in November as Pennsylvania remains a critical battleground state that the president is currently losing to Trump by approximately 3 percentage points. Biden has made it clear that winning the state in 2020 is what sent him to the White House.

Biden has made it no secret that he strongly values his Catholic faith. Even before Sunday’s visit to the West Oak Lane church to “feel the love,” Biden has been a regular churchgoer and has previously spoken at or campaigned in other places of worship.

Biden spoke at Saint John Baptist Church, a predominantly Black church, in Columbia, South Carolina in January ahead of the primary there. He discussed his faith and attended the service with Rep. Jim Clyburn (D., South Carolina), whose support was mainly responsible for Biden securing the nomination in 2020.

On March, 1 2020, Biden spoke at a worship event at the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama.

That’s why it’s not entirely shocking that Biden delivered prepared remarks at the lectern and received words of encouragement from preachers on Sunday, days after he said only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to drop out of the election.

Staff writer Earl Hopkins contributed to this article.