Barack Obama will on Monday put an early stamp on the looming general election when he kicks off a 17-day “economic tour” of key swing states that will focus on voters’ “pocket book” concerns and America’s declining competitiveness.

The tour, which starts in North Carolina – traditional Republican territory that the Obama campaign is targeting as a swing state – marks a rapid transition to general election mode after Hillary Clinton finally conceded defeat in her battle for the Democratic presidential nomination on Saturday.