(MCT) — WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to talk about helping struggling families make their way into the middle class during a trip to the Chicago area on Friday, when he will also touch on the wide-ranging approach he thinks the country should take to fighting gun violence.

The president’s remarks will be devoted to the “ladders of opportunity” he thinks will help working families, like raising the federal minimum wage and investing in education, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.