Joe Biden Touts Economic Record, Vows to ‘Double Down’

President Joe Biden championed his economic agenda on Thursday, vowing to “double down” on “progress.”

Biden’s promise to “double down” on his economic agenda appears indifferent to the economic challenges Americans face, such as inflation and soaring housing costs.

Recent polling shows Americans are unpleased with Joe Biden’s economy:

• Only 14 percent of voters believe they are better off with Biden as commander-in-chief.
• Seventy percent of voters say Biden’s economic policies have either hurt the economy or have had no impact.
• Among the 70 percent, 33 percent say the president’s policies have hurt the economy a lot.

While speaking at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, Biden claimed his administration is “delivering on our promises, and we’re doubling down on our progress.”

“Our model for growing is delivering real results to all Americans,” he said, highlighting the inflation rate and wealth creation.

“We now have the lowest inflation rate of any advanced economy in the world. And meanwhile, median household wealth has grown by 37 percent in real terms since before the pandemic,” he claimed.

The Republican National Committee’s War Room fact-checked Biden’s claim of wealth growth. “Middle-class households have lost, on average, more than $33,000 in real wealth over the past year,” it said.

Biden acknowledged that Americans are not happy with his economic record. “I acknowledge there is a disconnect between the numbers and how people feel about their place in the world right now,” he said.

“We still have work to do. But our model for growing is delivering real results to all Americans: significant black unemployment, Latino unemployment, et cetera,” he added.

Biden’s attempt to highlight alleged success among minorities comes as polling shows a lack of support among black and Hispanic voters for the president:

• Forty-nine percent of “men of color” support former President Donald Trump. Just 46 percent back Biden, a November CNN poll found.
• Support among nonwhite voters sank 33 points compared to 2020 election results, New York Times/Siena College polling found in November.

Follow Wendell Husebø on “X” @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.