- The president said the economic outlook for Christmas next year is “really good.”
- Voters disagree with 32.7 percent approval, compared to 57.9 percent disapproval
- Mainly due to record inflation over the past two years, which eroded household budgets
President Joe Biden wants the US economy reported “properly” as voters turn against him over rising costs of living.
Asked what his view on the economy was for next year as he rushed to Camp David over Christmas, the president insisted it was “all good.”
'Look. Start reporting on it properly,” he told reporters as he left the White House on Christmas morning.
Voters aren't so confident after seeing everything from rents to grocery prices rise during a year of massive inflation that remains above average.
President Joe Biden wants the US economy reported 'properly' as voters turn against him over rising costs of living
Inflation still stood at 3.1 percent last month, down from a high of 9.1 percent in June 2022, but refused to fall to the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target.
American workers are finding it hard to be excited about declining inflation because most of their wages still have to make up for the damage to their budgets.
President Biden hasn't had much luck since taking office as the post-Covid economy overheated, along with supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine.
His approval rating on the economy averages just 32.7 percent, compared to 57.9 percent disapproval according to the latest polls.
About 71 percent of Americans think the country's economy is heading in the wrong direction, and only five percent of Republicans and 58 percent of Democrats rated the economy as excellent or good.
Former President Donald Trump has a handy lead on this issue, 59 to 37 percent, according to a New York Times poll of five crucial swing states.
Inflation-adjusted incomes have fallen by just over one percent since he took office, and at the same time during Trump's presidency they were up three percent.
President Biden hasn't had much luck since taking office with an overheating post-Covid economy, supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine
Asked what his view on the economy was for next year as he rushed to Camp David at Christmas (pictured), the president insisted it was “all good.”
President Biden's joke was probably more a reflection of his frustration with the polls than most of the actual reporting on the economy.
In recent weeks, points of sale of the New York Times to the Washingtonpost, CBS, Los Angeles Timesand even the Wall Street Journal All noted that the underlying economy is in excellent shape, but voters were still downbeat about it.
Job growth has been much better under Biden, although it emerged from a market devastated by Covid-19, and exports and GDP growth are also better.
Unemployment has been below four percent for almost two years, when it was six percent under Trump, and average household wealth has risen by 37 percent.
However, that matters little when household budgets are still in disarray and there are fewer presents under the Christmas tree.