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Biden’s Comments On Inflation Draw Debate
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Biden’s Comments On Inflation Draw Debate

President Biden faced criticism yet again after repeating a false claim about inflation during an interview with Yahoo! Finance. Biden defended his handling of the economy while acknowledging the impact inflation has had on Americans. However, he repeated his previous claim that inflation was at 9% when he first took office, despite being called out just a week earlier for making the same assertion.

When speaking to Yahoo! Finance's Brian Sozzi about his newly announced tariffs on China, Biden stated, "Inflation has gone slightly up. It was at 9% when I came in. And it's now down around 3%." This statement is factually incorrect as inflation was at 1.4% when Biden took office in January 2021 and peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. It currently stands at 3.5%, which is still above the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.

Notably, this is not the first time President Biden has made this claim. During an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett last week, he stated, "No president has had the run we had in terms of creating jobs and bringing down inflation. It was 9% when I came into office, 9%." The claim was also challenged by media outlets and fact-checkers, with Snopes giving it a "false" rating.

According to FactCheck.org, a White House official said that Biden was trying to convey contributing factors to inflation, such as the supply chain crisis that began before he took office. However, it is important for leaders to be accurate and transparent when discussing issues that affect their constituents.

Biden's repeated false claim has sparked criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Representative Jim Banks, a Republican from Indiana, wrote on Twitter, "All Biden does is LIE!" Meanwhile, Washington Examiner Editor-in-Chief Hugo Gurdon commented, "Dems wonder why the message isn’t working; it’s because the message is that Dems think voters are fools." Republican strategist Logan Dobson also chimed in, saying that it used to be important for leaders to denounce presidential lies, but it seems to have changed now.

The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment from media outlets, including Fox News Digital. The inflation issue has become a major talking point for Republicans as they continue to tout former President Trump's economic policies and blame Biden's policies for current high inflation rates. Polls also show that the American people are more concerned about the economy and inflation than any other issue.

Despite these criticisms, President Biden remained defensive during his interview with CNN, stating, "We've already turned it around," and citing a poll that showed most Americans saying they are "personally in good shape" economically. He also repeated this argument in his interview with Yahoo! Finance. "The polling data has been wrong all along. You guys do a poll at CNN; how many folks do you have to call to get one response?" Biden lashed out to Burnett. "We have the strongest economy in the world. Let me say that again, in the world."

However, former top Obama adviser David Axelrod pointed out that while the economy may have rebounded, people are still struggling with the rising cost of living. He stated, "And I think he's making a terrible mistake. … If he doesn't win this race, it may not be Donald Trump that beats him. It may be his own pride." Axelrod also mentioned that empathy has been a cornerstone of Biden's political career and that he should lead with that trait when addressing economic issues.

Written by Arthur Higgens - May 15, 2024