Don’t be down, be confident like me, Biden urges Americans

JOE BIDEN has acknowledged that Americans are “really, really down” as they grapple with the costs of the pandemic and rising prices.

In a rare interview, the US president said the “need for mental health in America has skyrocketed” as he urged people to “be confident”.

Mr Biden said the country’s low mood, which coincides with yet another decline in the president’s approval rating, was largely “a consequence” of the Covid-19 crisis.

Mr Biden’s meeting in the Oval Office with the Associated Press was his first press interview in four months.

It comes amid fierce criticism of the White House’s gatekeeping of the 79-year-old president, who is prone to verbal gaffes. Mr Biden said the country’s one million coronavirus deaths and soaring inflation had a “profound impact” on the national psyche.

He said: “People are really, really down. The need for mental health in America has skyrocketed because people have seen everything upset.”

That pessimism has carried over into the economy as the price of petrol and household items soars, foreshadowing a bruising election cycle for Mr Biden’s Democrats in November.

But even as he acknowledged the many challenges facing Americans, Mr Biden appeared intent on striking an upbeat tone in the interview.

“Be confident,” he urged the nation, “Because I am confident. We are better positioned than any country in the world to own the second quarter of the 21st century.”

The president stressed that the possibility of the US economy dipping into recession was “not inevitable”.

“We’re in a stronger position than any other nation to overcome this inflation,” he said.

However, Mr Biden’s public approval rating suggests his party may struggle to maintain its control of Congress in the coming midterm elections.

The president’s popularity fell to 39 per cent in a Reuters/ipsos poll this week, close to the lowest it has been during his presidency.

‘We are better positioned than any country in the world to own the second quarter of the 21st century’