Joe Biden visited the CNN studios and expected a friendly and friendly conversation with editor Erin Burnett. When the journalist began to confront him about the economic failures of his administration, the president was clearly surprised.
The principle “it’s in the economy, stupid” has been held in the Democratic Party since 1992, when the completely unknown Bill Clinton was able to unexpectedly win over George Bush Sr. That’s why Democratic presidents don’t like to be reminded that Americans aren’t doing very well economically under their administration.
Even the incumbent president did not hide his dissonance when a television editor, whom he thought was sympathetic to him, began to present him with overwhelming facts from the economy.
Real income, adjusted for inflation, is still lower in the US now than it was before the pandemic, according to statistics. An American needs twice as much money to build a house today than in 2020.
The moods among people also correspond to this. Consumer confidence is at a two-year low, and a large majority of people think that Biden’s predecessor and opponent in the November election, Donald Trump, had a better understanding of the economy.
Under his rule, unemployment and inflation were low, as were mortgage interest and fuel prices.
“Real income, when you factor in inflation, has actually been lower since you took office,” the editor told Biden, noting that current economic growth is much lower than expected. At that point the president broke into a disgruntled grunt.
“Why should people believe that you will succeed in creating new jobs,” Burnett wondered.
The president took the floor: “Look, I’ve never failed at this and Trump has never failed at this. Because I created fifteen million new jobs,” he stated with satisfaction.
Journalists confronted his claims with reality. Fifteen million people went to work during the Biden administration, but it was not new jobs, but places that had previously been closed due to the pandemic. Above all, in states where governors from Biden’s Democratic Party closed entire industries as part of a restrictive covid policy.
Outside these places, it shows an increase in employment of only 2.7 million. But 2.9 million places are occupied by newly arrived migrants, both legal and illegal. In other words, there are not more people working before the pandemic, but 183,000 fewer.
According to the statistics, the decline in the employment of men in unskilled professions is particularly alarming, which is beginning to have an impact on social problems such as crime and drugs.
In August alone, 1.2 million native-born Americans were set to be laid off.
But Biden does not lose his optimism: “When I started this administration, people said that the economy would collapse. And now? We have the strongest economy in the world. I repeat – in the world”.
And regarding the achievements of his predecessor, he says: “When did he ever do anything he promised? Think about it”.
But it was Biden’s words about Israel that made the headlines from the interview. The US is facing mass protests by opponents of Israel, especially on the student campuses of major universities. Biden, who wants to build his electoral support precisely on these liberal groups, was accused of having Palestinian blood on his hands.
He has now expressed that the US does not support Israel’s anti-terrorist operation in the city of Rafah. “I made it clear to them that if they go to Raffah, they haven’t gone there yet, but if they do go there, I won’t supply them with any weapons,” he told CNN’s editors and viewers.
Asked about the protesting students calling him “Genocide Joe” on placards, he replied succinctly: “I hear their message.”
Barack Obama, who was Biden’s vice president in the years 2008-2016, is said to have advised him to continue what he is doing until the November elections. “I feel good about the trajectory of the campaign,” Biden added, despite the numbers still favoring his Republican rival.
On the contrary, he warned that if Donald Trump loses, he will not be willing to accept his defeat, as he did four years ago. “I’m telling you he won’t admit it. And that’s very dangerous,” he warned the camera.
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author: Jakub Vosáhlo
