Biden touts Stacey Abrams as a future presidential candidate in a speech in Georgia

US President Joe Biden has touted Stacey Abrams as a potential future president in a visit to Georgia marking his 100th day in office and selling his ambitious $4trillion spending plan.

The US leader said in a speech in Duluth, Georgia on Thursday that the voting rights activist “could be anything she wants to be, from whatever she chooses, to president.”

The politician and lawyer, who is believed to be considering another run for governor in 2022, is widely credited with helping to boost voter turn-out in the 2020 election, as well as the Senate elections which gave Democrats a bare majority in the Senate. 

Biden, who marked his 100th day in office on Thursday, was the first Democrat presidential candidate to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992.

Speaking at a drive-in rally, Mr Biden thanked Ms Abrams for “empowering people to vote and to make their voices heard”, as well as Georgia voters and new US Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff who helped get the Covid-19 relief plan passed in March.

He said: “We owe a special thanks to the people of Georgia. Because of you, the rest of America was able to get help. The American Rescue Plan would not have passed. So much have we gotten done, like getting checks to people, probably would not have happened, so, if you ever wonder if elections make a difference, just remember what you did here in Georgia … You changed America.”

The visit follows the president’s first address to a joint session of Congress where he outlined a $1.8trillion ‘American Families’ social spending plan to be funded partly through increased taxes on the wealthy.

It follows the $2.3 trillion infrastructure package last month, bringing the two plans to just over $4trillion.

Abrams, who served in the state House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017 and was defeated in the gubernatorial race in 2018 by Brian Kemp, has been helping to lead attempts to raise awareness of changes to voting laws in Georgia which Democrats claim will restrict access to ethnic minorities.

She told the rally that it had been “100 days of greatness” with the Biden administration.

“We’ve got a 100 days behind us, but we’ve got a long way to go,” she said.

Republicans have launched a “Stop Stacey“ campaign.

During their visit to Georgia, President Biden and the first lady, Dr Jill Biden, paid a visit to former president Jimmy Carter, as reported by CNN. 

President Carter missed Biden’s swearing in ceremony in January due to ill-health, the first one he has not attended since his own in 1977.