President Biden has “done the work” to halt inflation, despite the stat continuing to sit at a 40-year high for months, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre argues.
Jean-Pierre made the comments during a Monday press briefing at the White House, defending the president’s economic record amid scrutiny from Fox News reporter Steve Doocy. The exchange came on the heels of several polls finding that Americans lack confidence in Biden and the Democrats to bring down inflation.
“If President Biden’s top domestic priority is inflation, why doesn’t he have more to show for it?” Doocy asked.
“The president understands … that, um, inflation is an issue, high costs is an issue for the American people, and so he’s been very clear about making that his number one economic priority,” Jean-Pierre responded. “And he has done the work.”
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Jean-Pierre went on to cite his signing of the Inflation Reduction Act and blame Republicans for a lack of further action.
“Republicans are actually going to make things worse,” Jean-Pierre continued. “Democrats want to do the opposite and make things a little bit easier.”
Doocy then pressed her: “But, who exactly thinks the president is doing a good job on inflation?” he asked, citing a poll that found Americans are the least confident on Biden’s ability to tackle the issue.
“We understand that there are challenges … That is why we are taking action to lower costs,” Jean-Pierre responded. “Republicans in Congress refuse to be partners with us on this.”
Inflation rose 8.2% in September compared to last year, showing virtually no change since inflation first hit a 40-year high of 8.3% in April.
The economy and inflation remain the top priorities for voters heading into the midterm elections, and polls show Americans are leaning toward Republicans to handle the issue.
A Monday poll from The New York Times found that roughly 26% of voters said the economy is their most important issue, followed by inflation and cost of living at 18%. Abortion came in third, but at just 5%. Immigration also landed at 5%, while crime rounded out the top five at 3%.
Meanwhile, another Monday poll from the Associated Press found that voters say they trust Republicans to better handle crime, the economy, immigration and foreign policy, while they favor Democrats on abortion policy and healthcare.
