President Biden on Wednesday adamantly declared that he’s turned around the American economy, saying he doesn’t understand why voters are still looking at it negatively.
“We’ve already turned it around,” Mr. Biden told CNN in an interview that aired Wednesday night.
“Let me say it this way — when I started this administration, people were saying, ‘There’s going to be a collapse to the economy.’ We have the strongest economy in the world. Let me say it again — in the world,” he said.
When asked about a slew of recent polls showing many Americans have given him poor marks for his handling of the economy, Mr. Biden questioned the effectiveness of the phone surveys, saying the polls have been “wrong all along.”
“The idea that we’re in a situation where things are so bad that folks — I mean, we’ve created more jobs. We’re in a situation where people have access to good-paying jobs,” he said.
Mr. Biden acknowledged that the cost of goods and housing remains high, and he said he understood why it concerned voters.
“The last I saw, the combination of the inflation, the cost of inflation, all those things, that’s really worrisome to people, with good reason,” he said.
Surging gas prices and sky-high mortgages sent inflation rising more than expected in March, according to the latest Consumer Price Index data. Prices that month had increased 3.5% compared to the same period in 2023 and rose considerably from February’s 3.2% rate, the highest annual gain in the past six months.
Mr. Biden said inflation was down from 9% when he came into office, though it was actually 1.4% when he was sworn in. Inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, almost a year into his presidency.
The president said he is working to combat inflation by tackling junk fees that will lower Americans’ bills.
“The idea that you bounce a check and you get a $30 fee for bouncing the check? I changed that – can’t charge more than eight bucks for that. Or your credit card. Your late payment. $35. I mean, there’s corporate greed going on out there, and it’s got to be dealt with,” he said.
Despite Mr. Biden’s efforts to paint a rosy picture, voters remain sour on his handling of the economy. A CNN poll last month revealed that his approval rating for the economy (34%) and inflation (29%) are starkly underwater as voters say the economy is the top issue in this year’s presidential election.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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