I feel your pain on inflation, says president
President Biden insisted on Tuesday that he feels your inflation pain as he pitched his plans to improve the economy and took new shots at Republicans for what he calls their “ultra-MAGA” agenda.
Amid polls showing few Americans think the economy is healthy, Biden pleaded with the public to give him time to ease the inflation that is tearing up household budgets from coast to coast.
“I want every American to know: I’m taking inflation seriously,” Biden said. “It’s my top domestic priority.”
The president looked straight into the camera and told Americans that he felt their pain.
“I understand the frustration. I can taste it,” he said in a half-hour White House address. “The vast majority of Americans are hoping that government just takes care of their problems and they don’t have to deal with them on the kitchen table.”
Biden didn’t announce any new policies to cool off price rises. He ticked off some plans like releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and actions to improve supply chain bottlenecks that contribute to inflation.
“My plan lowers everyday costs for average Americans and asks big corporations to pay their fair share of taxes,” Biden said.
He cited the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine as external factors that sparked price rises at the grocery store, the gas pump and the car dealership.
He also lashed out at Republicans for blocking some of his economic plans, branding the GOP as in the thrall of “ultra-MAGA” proTrump extremists who want to roll back Social Security and Medicare.
Biden attacked Republicans for a plan put forward by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to raise taxes on tens of millions of middle-class Americans.
He laughed off a question about Scott’s preemptive attack on the speech in which the GOP Senate campaign arm leader called on Biden to resign.
But instead of trumpeting the booming economy that has fueled an unprecedented jobs boom, Biden was forced to beg the American public to give him another chance to reset things and bring down prices.
“Let’s build on the extraordinary progress we’ve made, not tear it down,” he said.