President Joe Biden’s inner circle is reportedly scrambling to salvage its “Bidenomics” messaging after being provided with data in recent months that showed its current pitch is not working, Politico reported Tuesday.
Members of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) reportedly met with some of Biden’s closest aides in September and October, presenting the White House staff with polling that showed Biden’s economic branding was falling short with Americans, according to Politico. After the meetings, the president’s aides began preparing to tweak the “Bidenomics” messaging, even as advisors remained confident that the pitch will eventually land with voters, the outlet reported. (RELATED: White House, Media Elites Think Americans Are Too Stupid To See How Good Biden’s Economy Is)
“Democrats can’t just hammer people over the head with an insistence that the economy is great,” Adam Green, co-founder of the PCCC, told Politico. “We have to acknowledge pain and pivot, and there are ways that we can optimize that pivot to hit Trump for mismanaging the economy.”
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to guests at Ingeteam Inc., an electrical equipment manufacturer, on August 15, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Biden used the opportunity to speak about his “Bidenomics” economic plan on the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The White House was reportedly presented with a PCCC poll showing that just 35 percent of Americans trusted Democrats more than Republicans on economic issues, Politico reported. Seventy percent of Americans surveyed did not believe the economy was getting better, even after being told that unemployment was at record lows and that inflation was easing, according to the poll.
US President Joe Biden trips on the steps as he arrives on stage to speak about his Bidenomics agenda at Tioga Marine Terminal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 2023. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’re working every day to show the American people what President Biden and Congressional Democrats have delivered,” White House spokesperson Michael Kikukawa told Politico. “We will continue reaching out to the portion of Americans who are not yet aware of those incredibly popular accomplishments.”
The reported decision to shift economic messaging comes after Democrats begged the White House in September to stop using the term “Bidenomics,” voicing concerns that the president’s push to take credit for his economic record may be off-putting with Americans who are struggling financially, according to a previous Politico report.