(Image source: Matt Michrina/Wikimedia Commons)

BY NICOLE THOMPSON

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

You're watching multisource politics video news analysis from Newsy.

He’s back on the bus - and this time the president’s wheels are going round-and-round to Virginia and North Carolina. President Barack Obama says this tour is all about promoting his jobs plan - but is it? CNN’s Christine Romans has more.

“His first stop will be in the Asheville area of North Carolina. He also plans to visit Virginia as part of a three-day bus tour. Both are key battleground states that he won in 2008.”

Fox News says, these typically GOP-leaning states aren’t usually a battle. Fox and Friends anchor Brian Kilmeade suggests Mr. Obama may have changed the political tide, and takes a look at how he’s polling.

“You know, in 2000, and in the prior election to that, everyone was like, and in 2004, you’ve gotta win Florida and you’ve gotta win Ohio, and the battle was on. Now it seems to be reconstructed because of the success president Obama had in those two states last time. North Carolina surprisingly in his column, and Virginia. Right now, his approval rating in both must be concerning, because in North Carolina is at 44 percent approval, 53 percent disapproval. And Virginia 45, 52.”

So now that North Carolina and Virginia are battleground states for the president, some are speculating his trip is about more than just his jobs plan. The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake writes -

“The White House, of course, emphasizes that this is strictly an official trip — paid for by the government and focusing on the president’s jobs plan and not campaign politics — but the destinations should leave little doubt about what the states mean to Obama, who has made a habit of mixing official business with swing state visits.”

And some of the president’s critics -- surprise! -- aren’t so happy he’s using government dollars on what they see as a campaign stop. The Daily Caller reports -

“The [North Carolina] GOP had planned to offer the president’s bus a free tow back to D.C. if he would fly back immediately to focus on creating jobs and fixing the economy...”

Call it what you will -- Politico’s Abby Phillip tells MSNBC, this trip is definitely an important one for President Obama.

“It’s hard to see how he’s going to get a lot done in Washington right now, and that skepticism, perhaps pessimism, is shared by a lot of voters out there. The margin that he won North Carolina by is so slim when he was for a long time seen as a big time front runner in 2008 - now he has a lot of stiff competition from the Republican field, so he’s got to really push.”

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Monday the president is “excited” about the opportunity to quote “get out into smaller communities … and meet with Americans.”

Transcript by Newsy.