It's so far proven to be a very busy week for President Joe Biden with his speeches and media appearances. That's not exactly a good thing. This was especially the case on Wednesday, when Biden had another snafu with the teleprompter and his CNN interview with Erin Burnett also aired. Not only did the president reveal he would continue to withhold ammunition from Israel if they continued with their operation in Rafah, but he also made some rather curious comments about the economy.
The clip aired during "The Lead With Jake Tapper," with Tapper reminding how the economy is "issue number one for so many voters," which multiple polls indeed show that it is. "But despite President Biden's optimism on the economy, polls consistently show Americans disapprove of his handling of it," Tapper also pointed out.
"So when you talk about the economy, of course, it is by far the most important issue for voters. It's also true right now, Mr. President, that voters by a wide margin, trust Trump more on the economy. They say that in polls," Burnett pointed out to Biden.
When it comes to some of the more recent polls, the latest poll from The Economist/YouGov shows that a plurality of voters, at 48 percent, believe the economy will "get worse" if Biden is reelected. A plurality, at 45 percent, say that the economy will "get better" if former and potentially future President Donald Trump is reelected. Ninety-seven percent of voters say the "jobs and the economy" is an important issue, with 73 percent saying it's "very important." Biden only has a 42 percent approval rating with voters on the issue, though, while 54 percent disapprove of his handling of such a key issue.
Further, a plurality of voters, at 43 percent, say the economy is "poor," and a majority of voters, at 54 percent, say the economy is "getting worse."
Overall, RealClearPolling shows Biden with an average approval rating of 39.6 on the economy, while 58.1 percent disapprove.
As we covered on Monday, Trump has a lead of +14 in the recent ABC News/Ipsos poll when it comes to who voters prefer trust to handle the economy, at 46-32 percent over Biden. Tuesday's VIP addressed how a recent Gallup poll showed Biden is at a historic low for how much confidence Americans have in him to do or recommend the right thing on the economy, just 38 percent.
Burnett had more to her question. "And part of the reason for that, maybe the numbers and you're aware of many of these, of course, the cost of buying home in the United States is double what it was when you look at your monthly costs from before the pandemic. Real income, when you account for inflation, is actually down since you took office. Economic growth last week for short of expectations," she pointed out. "Consumer confidence, maybe no surprise, is near a two-year low. With less than six months to go to Election Day, are you worried that you're running out of time to turn that around?"
Biden should be worried. "We've already turned it around," he still claimed. He then went on to mention the key swing state of Michigan, where RealClearPolling currently has Trump up by +1.2. "Look, look at the Michigan survey. For 65 percent American people think they're in good shape economically. They think the nation's not in good shape, but they're personally in good shape."
It's questionable as to what poll Biden was referring to. One of the more recent polls out of Michigan came from CBS News late last month. Just 38 percent say the economy is currently "good," while 62 percent say that, looking back, it was that way under Trump.
"The polling data has been wrong all along," Biden continued to falsely claim. "How many -- you guys do a poll at CNN. How many folks you have to call to get one response?" Speaking of the poll that CNN did with 1,097 Michigan voters back in March, Trump had a lead there as well, with 55 percent saying they trust him more on the economy, while just 29 percent said so about Biden.
CNN: "Voters, by a wide margin, trust Trump more on the economy ... are you worried that you're running out of time to turn [the economy] around?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 8, 2024
BIDEN: "We've already turned it around! ... The polling data has been wrong!" 🤔 pic.twitter.com/kM6aBqgAyf
Burnett let Biden continue further, though. "The idea that we're in a situation where things are so bad. Folks--I mean, we've created more jobs, we've made, we're in a situation where people have access to good paying jobs. And the last I saw, the combination of the inflation, the cost of inflation, all the things--that's really worse for the people with good reason. That's why I'm working very hard to bring the cost of rentals down, to increase the number of homes that are available," Biden claimed. "What--but let me say it this way, when I started this administration, people were saying, there are going to be a collapse in the economy. We have the strongest economy in the world. Let me say it again, in the world."
That's not what the American people are experiencing, though, as the poll findings highlight. Worse for the unpopular incumbent president is how his tone comes off, as if he's talking down to struggling Americans for not appreciating more how much they're suffering.
Spencer also highlighted last Friday how it was a particularly bad week for Bidenomics, not too long before this interview aired. The inflation report from March also showed that economic growth has slowed. As Spencer also noted about that March report, "the personal consumer expenditures (PCE) price index increased 0.3 percent in March for an annual advance of 2.7 percent, more than economists expected. Core PCE inflation — excluding food and energy — rose the same 0.3 percent in March for a 12-month increase of 2.8 percent."
Burnett did press Biden on how "GDP last week was far short of expectations," though Biden responded with how "GDP is still growing." He even touted his record on inflation. That poll from The Economist/YouGov has him at just a 34 percent approval rating among voters on the issue, while 61 percent disapprove. This is another issue where 97 percent of voters say it's an important issue, with 77 percent saying it's "very important." A RealClearPolling shows his average approval rating on inflation is at 34.3 percent, while 63.8 percent disapprove.
The Economist/YouGov poll also shows that 43 percent of voters believe there will be "a higher rate of inflation" in six months.
"I mean, no president has had the run we've had in terms of creating jobs and bringing down inflation was 9 percent when I came to office, 9 percent," Biden continued, trying to brag.
Biden has made such claims about creating jobs before, though they're jobs that were recovered after the pandemic, as Mia has fact-checked multiple times, including for Biden's State of the Union in March.
A GoBankingRate piece from earlier this week examining the inflation rates from each president since Lyndon B. Johnson shows that Biden has some of the highest inflation rates, while Trump has the second lowest, only behind President George W. Bush who saw a 0.0 percent inflation rate.
A separate piece also noted that "when eliminating the context and looking purely at numbers during each president’s four-year term, Trump oversaw a period of relatively low inflation, and Biden’s term so far has largely been defined by rapidly rising prices and the most painful inflation since the early 1980s."
Biden also blamed the situation on "corporate greed," a sentiment he's gone with before when it comes to inflation--something he's been fact-checked by Community Notes for--and said "it's got to be dealt with."
BIDEN: "No president's had the run we had in terms of creating jobs and bringing down inflation!"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 8, 2024
The vast majority of those jobs were recovered from the pandemic — and inflation, which is accelerating again, has averaged a sky-high 5.6% under Biden. pic.twitter.com/Uk0DLDvCDx
Back on "The Lead With Jake Tapper," John King on a panel discussion offered that "I would say [Biden] risked pissing off some of the voters I've talked to in my travels over the last six or seven months because they don't feel it." As he too mentioned Biden bringing up the polls, King spoke to how they've seen voters in key swing states of Wisconsin, where the president also spoke that day, and previously in Michigan.
Even for worker say they "are prepared to vote for President Biden," and "believe he's the most pro-union president," King noted "even they, they've seen beleaguered when they talk about the cost of groceries and how hard it is, and they can't move out of their house because they want to upgrade, but they can't afford a newer house, a bigger house right now because of mortgage rates."
While King did agree with Biden's points on the economy, he also made clear "voters don't feel that way, and voters don't like being told they're wrong."
The show played a clip of a Wisconsin farmed CNN had spoken too, who said "the inflation thing is just wild. And, you know, we're told by the government that, oh, 7 or 8 percent inflation or whatnot, we were feeling more like it's 25 percent inflation. You get your paycheck and it looks good, but then when you pay the bills, it's like, wow, it's all gone already."
Other clips show voters' unhappiness with prices as well.
Veronica in Racine, Wisconsin on Joe Biden:
— Bobby LaValley (@Bobby_LaVallley) May 8, 2024
"Being retired, I can't afford a lot of this stuff because it's so inflated. I do not like Biden at all, not at all." pic.twitter.com/wp2R0nmzFU
