AUBURN, Maine — A few hours before President Joe Biden arrived to speak Friday at an Auburn manufacturing facility, Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” drifted from the radio inside the Rolly’s Diner kitchen.
The country tune that Republican presidential candidates have embraced as it has become a culture-war issue due to its music video served as a reminder that the swing city of Auburn is not one of Maine’s Democratic strongholds despite Biden’s Friday visit.
His trip to the city of about 24,000 was not marked by huge crowds of detractors nor massive crowds of supporters, apart from the employees, their families and elected officials who filled the Auburn Manufacturing Inc. facility off First Flight Drive on the outskirts of town to hear the president tout his economic agenda.
More notable was how ordinary the Friday morning progressed in Auburn. The corner of Mill and Main streets was abuzz around 8:45 a.m., but not in the form of any onlookers. The noise came from a construction crew pounding away on a section of the road.
Inside nearby Rolly’s Diner, a local landmark, nearly every table and counter seat was taken as customers enjoyed coffee, toast and one of the day’s specials, the Lady Slipper Skillet, featuring hash browns, cheddar, tomatoes and poached eggs alongside toast and coffee.
A few diners said they were aware of Biden visiting but did not care much one way or the other.
“Some people aren’t happy about it,” a server said, before quickly asking a reporter if Biden was coming to Rolly’s. “I don’t really get political but overhear things.”
Similarly, Darren Douin, owner of Happy Days Diner, said while plenty of customers discuss politics in the morning, he only learned Thursday that Biden was coming to town and had no clue where the president was speaking.
Taking a smoke break outside his diner across the street from Rolly’s, Douin was more interested in talking about the construction that he said has not been good for business.
More anticipation for Biden’s visit and any opinions on the Democrat came 20 miles away in the midcoast city of Brunswick, where a growing crowd gathered outside Brunswick Executive Airport to catch a glimpse of the president and his guests, including three members of Maine’s congressional delegation, as Air Force One touched around noon.
“It’s a piece of America,” said Amy Voisine of Brunswick. “Just being able to come and witness our sitting president visiting our beautiful state.”
Once at Auburn Manufacturing, the president found a welcoming crowd that included Democratic and Republican state lawmakers, company employees with their spouses and children who held up phones to capture photos and videos of Biden.
Many also noticed Lewiston native Patrick Dempsey, the actor best known for playing Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd in the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy.” One freelancer for a national paper said his editor was preoccupied with Dempsey’s presence.
The actor sat next to Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, in the section to the right of Biden’s podium that also included members of Congress and Maine legislators. Brakey shook Biden’s hand after the speech and later tweeted he handed the president a note asking him to grant clemency to Ross Ulbricht, the “dark net” Silk Road website creator serving a life sentence in prison.
After his Auburn speech, Biden headed to a high-dollar campaign fundraiser at a Freeport home. Neighbors along Wolfe’s Neck Road held signs saying “Welcome Joe Biden” and “Maine Made” as the motorcade passed.
“If it was my house, I was going to make a big sign that says ‘Hello Mr. Biden,’” Marion Mitchell, who gathered with friends outside her neighbor’s house, said. “Or, ‘Thank you Mr. Biden’ and just kind of show … I do appreciate what he’s done in office.”
It was not just Biden fans who came out. At Brunswick Executive Airport, where Biden would fly out of to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Ashley Morrill of Brunswick sat with family and friends in the back of an SUV, all donning merchandise supporting former President Donald Trump, Biden’s 2020 opponent and potential 2024 rival, and clothes featuring the American flag.
“I honestly don’t really care [about Biden coming],” Morrill said. “We like to see all the guys in suits. We like to see all the big artillery and heavy machinery and big helicopters. We love it. It’s a rush.”