Biden White House Blames Economic Issues on the Trump Administration

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a briefing at the White House
Evan Vucci/AP

The Biden administration on Monday blamed current economic issues on the Trump administration, asserting that the Biden administration has been busying itself with fixing a “problem that we saw that the last administration left us.”

“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?” Fox News’s Peter Doocy asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“So here’s the thing. When we walked into this administration, the economy was in a tailspin,” Jean-Pierre began before proceeding to blame what Americans view as a distressing economic climate on the Trump administration, which saw the fastest-growing economy in history.

“The U.S. economy grew at 33.1% in the third quarter of 2020, a record pace,” Breitbart News reported in October 2020, outlining some of the Trump administration’s greatest achievements. “The economy bounced back because Trump laid the foundation for growth with tax cuts, deregulation, and an emphasis on jobs.”

However, that is irrelevant to Jean-Pierre.

“That is the fact because of the last administration, because of the Trump administration, because of how they dealt with COVID and the pandemic,” she said. “Because they didn’t have a comprehensive plan.”

“The president came in, he passed the American Rescue Plan, which was able to get the economy back on its feet. … Small businesses were able to open up, schools were able to open up, and we understand what Americans have been feeling over the last two, three years,” she continued.

“It’s going to take some time. We get that it’s going to take some time, but it does not take away how we have seen the economy getting back on his feet,” she said, essentially failing to answer Doocy’s question on why Americans are not buying the Biden administration’s claims.

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“We actually had to fix the problem that we saw that the last administration left us,” Jean-Pierre added.

The Biden White House’s claim comes as Americans suffered record-high inflation — and gas prices — under Biden’s presidency.

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A recent McLaughin & Associates survey found that 84 percent of Americans say they have been affected by inflation, and of those, 46 percent said they are actively “struggling.” Further, half say that Bidenomics has been bad “for the economy, inflation and the cost of living.”

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