President Biden appeared to be caught off guard when CNN’s Erin Burnett confronted him with a number of brutal economic data points.
Burnett began by pointing out that the economy has long topped the list of most important issues for voters as election day nears. “ 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 said. “And part of the reason for that may be the numbers.”
The CNN host went on to list a number of statistics concerning the economy and President Biden’s handling of the issue.
“The cost of buying a home in the United States is double what it was when you account for inflation is actually down since you took office. Economic growth last week, far short of expectations. Consumer confidence, maybe no surprise, is near a two-year low,” Burnett told the president. “With less than six months to go to election day, are you worried that you’re running out of time to turn that around?”
Polling has consistently found that voters have more faith in Trump’s ability to handle the economy as opposed to President Biden. According to April’s Harvard/CAPS Harris survey, 57 percent of respondents described the state of the U.S. economy as “weak,” while an almost identical number said the economy is on the “wrong track.” Respondents expressed similar opinions regarding inflation, cost of living and their overall financial situation.
The trend has held for months across major pollsters, with voters consistently expressing negative views about the economy and having more confidence in former President Donald Trump.
During Wednesday’s CNN interview, Biden employed his administration’s favorite defense by claiming that the economy is actually great, only voters can’t see it.
“We’ve already turned it around,” President Biden told Burnett. “Look, look at the Michigan survey. For 65% of the 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. The polling data has been wrong all along. How many folks do you have to call to get one response?”
Biden continued to defend his economic record by pointing to the false claim that he created 9 million jobs, almost all of which were workers simply returning after government-mandated pandemic lockdowns. “The idea that we’re in a situation where things are so bad. I mean, we’ve created more jobs. We may have been in a situation where people have access to good paying jobs,” the president went on to say.
The Biden Administration has consistently argued that the economy is strong while claiming that polling is wildly inaccurate.