President Joe Biden has been giving fewer interviews to major news organizations than his predecessors, and his recent appearance on CNN was not well received. In just 15 minutes, President Biden displayed a lack of knowledge about recent economic history and seemed out of touch with the reality faced by many people.
During an interview with Erin Burnett, Biden disputed the premise of a question about whether voters trust him more on the economy than Donald Trump. He criticized polling data, claiming that polls, even those conducted by CNN, were inaccurate. Biden’s denial of the polling results from various reputable sources such as CNN, the Economist, Harvard University, the New York Times, Yahoo, Fox, Marist, and CNBC, raised eyebrows.
Furthermore, Biden inaccurately stated that he inherited an economy on the brink of collapse when he took office. In reality, the economy was already showing signs of a strong recovery prior to Biden’s inauguration. Job growth had been robust, with over 12 million jobs added between the lowest point of the pandemic and Trump’s last month in office.
Biden also claimed that he inherited high inflation from his predecessor, stating that it was at 9% when he took office. In truth, inflation was much lower at the time, with prices rising only 1.4% in the 12 months leading up to January 2021. Biden’s policies, including a $2 trillion deficit spending package, contributed to a surge in inflation, reaching a peak of 9.1% in June 2022. Despite some improvement, inflation remains a problem, impacting real income and leading to increased costs for housing, groceries, and consumer credit card debt.
Whether Biden’s statements were intentional lies or the result of misinformation fed to him by his advisors is unclear. However, the economic challenges faced by many Americans under his administration are undeniable. The impact of Biden’s policies on inflation, real income, and living costs has been significant, leaving voters to assess the harm caused by his actions regardless of his intentions.