OPINION

Biden Deflects Blame On Inflation – But Americans Don’t Buy It

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It is no secret that inflation is staggeringly high under Joe Biden. In February, it only grew worse, with the Consumer Price Index hitting a new 40-year high and price hikes for gas, groceries, and goods shattering previous records.

Biden is predictably trying to gaslight Americans into thinking it’s all because of the war in Ukraine– which only started last month – and not because of his policies, falsely claiming high prices are Putin’s “fault.” But Americans, if recent polls are any indication, don’t buy it. According to The Wall Street Journal, 63 percent of voters disapprove of Biden’s handling of inflation; according to ABC News, 70 percent; and CBS News, 69 percent. Simply put, Americans are smarter than Biden thinks they are: they know Biden is lying and that his policies are directly to blame for 40-year high inflation and record gas prices. 

It’s little wonder why. First, dig into the numbers for February’s Consumer Price Index, and it’s the same story as in previous months: a disastrous combination of rising prices and falling wages. Consumer prices surged by 7.9 percent compared to last year while real average hourly earnings fell 2.6 percent, with inflation taking away any wage gains. It’s an undeniable pattern Biden can’t possibly ignore.

Second, throughout his presidency, Biden has continually moved the goalposts on inflation from “transitory” to a “good sign” to “corporate greed” to “peaking” – and now – to “Putin.” What, really, can anyone believe? Several hard facts cut through Biden’s verbal clutter: inflation was accelerating long before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, consumer prices rose at or above 5 percent year over year for 10 straight months, and economists across the aisle agree that Biden and Democrats’ $1.9 trillion “stimulus” bill fueled the “nasty” spike in inflation. 

While Biden shamelessly casts blame for high inflation and record gas prices onto Putin, he is also making a false– and cynical – attempt at empathy.With gas prices at an all-time record high, Biden is claiming he understands the pain Americans feel at the pump. But this is impossible: “pain” has always been the point of Biden’s energy “transition.” Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirms as much, saying recently that “we are in the middle of a long-term transformation” and that the solution to rising gas prices is “electric vehicles.” Also, Joe Biden has been an elitist politician for almost 50 years. When’s the last time he pumped his own gas?

To top it off, Biden’s failed economy is leaving behind women, minorities, and low-income Americans -- the very groups he promised to champion. According to a recentWall Street Journal poll, 35 percent of Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American voters report facing major financial strain due to inflation compared to 28 percent of white voters. WhileBiden promised to work for “low-income Americans,”66 percent of households making under $40,000 are experiencing financial hardship due to rising prices. Tellingly,74 percent of women view the U.S. economy in a negative light.

Simply put, Biden’s disastrous policies are failing Americans of all backgrounds. Even worse,Biden is deeply out of touch and habitually paints rosy pictures that simply are not true.In January, for example, Biden said“we're in a situation now where you should have peace of mind.” But February’s Producer Price Index rose by 10 percent since last year, the highest increase on record. With the supply chain crisis unsolved, prices are continuing to rise, goods remain scarce, and U.S. consumer sentiment has now plummeted to an11-year low.Biden’s Build Back Broke agenda would only make soaring prices even worse. Together, these problems and trends prove inflation is here to stay under Biden. 

One thing is clear: Biden is responsible for the inflation disaster he created.While his polls continue to plunge, Republicans are at the ready. Come November, American voters will make their voices heard, electing Republicans up and down the ballot to bring what Democrats simply can’t: prosperity and opportunity. It can’t come soon enough.