President Joe Biden blamed former President Donald Trump on Friday for a devastating job numbers report in April.
“When we came in, we inherited a year of profound economic crisis and mismanagement on the virus,” Biden said, alluding to Trump.
The jobs report showed unemployment rose in April for the first time since April 2020, when the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic first began.
Biden spoke at an event at the White House about the latest employment figures, complaining he inherited an economic crisis from the previous administration.
“There is more evidence that our economy is moving in the right direction, but it’s clear we have a long way to go,” Biden said.
The president said the jobs report was actually encouraging, after a “once-in-a-century pandemic and a once-in-a-generation economic crisis.”
“We knew this wouldn’t be a sprint this would be a marathon, and quite frankly we’re moving more rapidly than I thought we were,” he said.
The president laughed off critics who said the number was devastating for his administration.
“Listening to commentators today, as I was getting dressed, you might think that we should be disappointed,” Biden said with a chuckle.
He also dismissed the idea his decision to extend additional $300 a week payments to unemployed workers until September 2021 was keeping workers at home.
“Today’s report just underscores, in my view, how vital the actions we’re taking are,” Biden said. “Checks to people who are hurting.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.