LAWRENCE, Kan. — President Barack Obama likes to say there are no red states or blue states, just the United States of America. Yet his first two stops on the traditional post-State of the Union tour were in Republican “red” states. 

The White House says this is not a coincidence.

Spokesman Josh Earnest says Idaho, where Obama stopped Wednesday, is a good example of a state that’s investing in programs to help people get the skills and training they need to get a good middle-class job.

Obama has emphasized skilled training throughout his presidency.

Earnest notes that the political leadership in Idaho and in Kansas, Obama’s stop on Thursday, is Republican.

He says Obama wanted to visit both states to show that Republican support exists for the types of programs the president supports.