President Biden and former President Trump blamed each other for soaring inflation and the nation’s economic struggles.
In the first question in the first presidential debate, Mr. Biden laid out the case that he inherited a shaky post-COVID economy from his predecessor. The answer is emblematic of the president’s campaign message, arguing that Mr. Trump had a worse economic record.
“Things were chaos,” Mr. Biden said of his predecessor’s economy.
Mr. Biden argued that he created jobs and brought down the cost of prescription drugs to help spur the economy. But he also acknowledged that “there’s more to be done,” saying high prices still vex consumers.
“Working class people are still in trouble,” he said.
In response, Mr. Trump argued that inflation has soared under Mr. Biden and that his stewardship created the “greatest economy in the history of the country before the pandemic.
“We gave him a stock market that was higher than it was pre-COVID and no one thought that was possible,” Mr. Trump said, adding that the only jobs Mr. Biden created were for illegal immigrants and COVID-19 policy.
Mr. Biden responded by saying, Mr. Trump is the “only one” who thinks the economy was good under his administration, saying he “rewarded the wealthy,” while ignoring the middle class.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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