Stephanie Scarborough/Associated Press
President Joe Biden speaks Monday at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Washington
CNN
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The Biden campaign has attacked former President Donald Trump over the economy, citing his recent predictions that the economy would collapse and expectations that it would occur before he takes office if he wins a second term. is strongly criticized.
Biden campaign aides see the Republican front-runner’s comments as an opening to push his economic case amid a battle with voters dissatisfied with the president’s economic policies. Plans are underway to lean into Trump’s comments, including Wednesday’s paid media campaign around CNN’s Republican presidential primary debate and Fox News’ town hall with Trump, according to people familiar with the discussions.
“Donald Trump should just say he doesn’t care about people. He wants the economy to collapse,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement first provided to CNN. Because that’s exactly what Mr. Trump is telling the American people.” “In his relentless pursuit of power and retaliation, Donald Trump has brought home the reality that millions of Americans are out of work and living with overwhelming uncertainty about how to provide for their basic needs. I’m rooting for you.”
Trump made the prediction in an interview Monday, saying he aims to further refine his economic thesis, including against Biden, ahead of the Republican primary, which begins with Monday’s Iowa caucuses. .
“I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover, so when the crash happens, I hope it happens in the next 12 months. Only President, I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover. ” President Trump said in an interview aired on the right-wing platform Lindell TV on Monday.
When President Herbert Hoover took office in 1929, the stock market crashed, paving the way for the Great Depression. Mr. Biden has already turned to comparisons between Mr. Hoover and Mr. Trump during his campaign.
“Other than Herbert Hoover, this is the only president to actually lose his job in four years,” Biden said at a campaign fundraiser in December. “That’s why I often think of him as Donald ‘Herbert Hoover’ Trump.”
The White House doubled down on the criticism Tuesday, with Press Secretary Andrew Bates saying, “The duty of the commander-in-chief is always to put the American people first. The president’s duty is always to put the American people first.” We should never wish hard-working families to suffer financially for their own political gain. ”
It marks the latest effort by the campaign to ramp up attacks on Trump, whom it views as a likely opponent in November. On Friday, Mr. Biden began the year with a forceful rebuke of his predecessor, accusing him of being a direct threat to democracy for prioritizing his own political power over the will of the people.
Sources said the Biden campaign is weighing in on Trump’s appearance in a federal appeals court as the former president’s legal team argues he should be immune from prosecution for his actions after the 2020 presidential election. The economy is expected to be the focus of attention on Tuesday. He says he’s familiar with the approach.
The clear strategy is to refrain from getting into the specific legal issues at hand to avoid any perception of political interference, and to track how Mr. Biden has approached most of Mr. Trump’s trials. There is.
Biden has made Trump’s threat to democracy a central part of his re-election pitch, but the former president’s hope against economic collapse and the breakthrough it may have given Democrats is important to him. This was an opportunity to focus on important issues.
Voters consistently rank the economy as their top concern heading into the November election. A CNN poll released last month found that 7 in 10 Americans think the U.S. economy is in bad shape, and Americans say their views on the economy are closer to Republicans than Democrats. There is.
Biden spent much of last year promoting his “Bidenomics” message through campaign events and ad campaigns, but so far he has denied how his policies affect them. The government is having a hard time motivating voters who have a similar perception.
But the stark recognition among voters comes amid signs of economic improvement that the White House and campaign are quick to tout, including lower inflation, lower gas prices and higher wages. In a speech Monday appealing to Black voters, Biden sought to highlight efforts to lower prescription drug costs, including capping insulin at $35 for Medicare enrollees and giving Medicare more power to negotiate drug prices. .
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen defended the current state of the economy in an interview with CNN on Friday.
“There’s a lot of pessimism about the economy, but it’s actually proven to be unwarranted. A year ago, most forecasters believed we were going into a recession,” Yellen said. “Obviously that’s not happening,” he said, adding: “We have a strong enough labor market.”
Mr. Biden’s advisers have acknowledged that some of these economic bright spots will take time to sink into the American psyche, giving them time to sell their message on the merits of the president’s policies before Election Day. I hope so. And they hope the contrast with Mr. Trump will help.
“President Biden delivered on the point that President Trump failed the American people.” From day one, Chavez Rodriguez said, “President Biden delivered $14 million, including bringing back hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs and reducing costs for families.” “By helping create more jobs, we have begun to solve the economic crisis left behind by President Trump.” “The bottom line is that President Biden wakes up every day to work for and support the American people. Donald Trump spends every day worrying about himself.”