Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy grilled White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Monday on the majority of Americans disapproving of the current economy.
Polls have repeatedly shown a majority of Americans disapproving of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy as the White House continues to tout their economic initiatives. A recent Wall Street Journal/NORC poll found 65% of Americans’ view the economy as “not so good or poor,” and their faith in the American dream significantly plummeted in comparison to the previous year.
“Lowering prices, you said earlier that the actions the president has taken have worked. So, is it your sense that when people are home for Thanksgiving, catching up with their family members, they are saying to each other, ‘Can you believe how much more affordable things have gotten’?” Doocy asked at Monday’s press briefing.
“So, honestly I wouldn’t — I hear the question. But I want to make sure this is very clear. We take that very seriously,” the press secretary said. “We take what families, the dishes that they make at their kitchen table, whether it’s during Thanksgiving or whether it is every month as they are trying to make hard decisions about how they move forward and take care of their family. We take that very seriously. It’s not a joke to us. It’s important to us. The president talks about it in a very personal way when he talks about what families have to go through, working families, middle class families, and that’s why he’s taking actions like he has.”
“So look, the fact is, the data shows that the economy is improving. The data shows that households were made in a strong financial position. Household wealth is at a record high with lower income households seeing the largest gains since the pandemic. Those are indeed what we’re seeing,” Jean-Pierre continued.
“But why do you think it is that when you say the economy is improving and President Biden says the economy is improving, that a majority of Americans outside of this building are not buying it?” Doocy asked. (RELATED: Peter Doocy Asks KJP The Same Question She Previously Shouted Down And Refused To Answer)
Jean-Pierre said Biden’s administration saved the economy from the so-called “tail-spin” under former President Donald Trump’s leadership by passing the American Rescue Plan and allowing businesses to reopen. She emphasized it will take a gradual amount of time for Americans to personally experience the economy’s improvements.
Doocy scoffed at Jean-Pierre’s criticism of Trump, pointing out inflation has risen over 17% since Biden entered office. The press secretary argued inflation has dropped.
“So we understand that people are still not feeling it. We get that. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to continue to talk about it. It doesn’t mean that the president at 2 o’clock is not going to talk about how he’s lowering costs, and let’s not forget what Republicans are doing on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue,” she said. “They’re trying to increase good healthcare costs. They want to get rid of Medicare. They want to get rid of Social Security. That is something that we saw them try to do at the State of the Union, right? They do that over and over and over again. They want to make sure the the millionaires and billionaires are actually getting the benefits.”
Republicans booed Biden during his State of the Union address in February after he accused them of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare and “take the economy hostage.” Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy disputed Biden’s claims, saying any cut to Social Security or Medicare is “off the table.”