The Hill News

President Obama on Monday kicks off a two-day road trip in two key swing states, where he will tout his efforts to create jobs and boost the sluggish economic recovery. 

Obama first heads to North Carolina -- a Republican-leaning state he won in 2008 -- to give a speech at Cree, Inc., which manufactures LED lighting. He also plans to huddle with his Jobs and Competitiveness Council, a group of high-profile outside advisers from the business community, to discuss their solutions to jump start hiring by employers.

{mosads}The president later heads to Miami, Fla. to speak at two Democratic National Committee (DNC) fundraising events.

Though not specifically billed as a campaign trip, the events give Obama an opportunity to provide counter-programming to his Republican opponents, who are gathering in New Hampshire Monday evening for a presidential primary debate.

Jobs and the economy are expected to dominate Obama's 2012 reelection campaign and the pr! esident is looking to fine tune his message for the public, which has become increasingly pessimistic about the state of the economy.

A CNN poll released last week showed that 48 percent of registered voters fear another Great Depression is likely to happen over the next year and Republicans have repeatedly accused Obama doing nothing to help job growth.

Two members of the Jobs and Competitiveness Council previewed their suggestions ahead of Obama's visit in a Wall Street Journal op-ed: Former GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt and American Express CEO Ken Chenault outlined five actions that are "critical to accelerating job growth in high-potential sectors, while also addressing areas! of concentrated unemployment" they say can "support the creat! ion of m ore than one million jobs within these industries." 

Obama on Tuesday will continue his trip in Puerto Rico, which will give him a chance to appeal to Hispanic voters that voted for him en masse during his successful 2008 campaign. He will visit with Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño (R) and attend a DNC event.