President Biden criticized reporters on Friday, expressing dissatisfaction with their coverage of the economy.
During his remarks about the September jobs report, Mr. Biden blamed journalists for not effectively conveying his economic message to the public.
“You are all not the happiest people in the world,” the president said to the gathered reporters. “You get a little more attention when you report something negative. I understand that. It’s just the nature of things. When you turn on the television, you don’t see much about a boy saving a dog as he swims in the lake. Instead, it’s about someone pushing a dog into the lake. I get it.”
Furthermore, he urged reporters to focus more on the war in Ukraine and other international issues, rather than scrutinizing the economy.
“There are legitimate concerns about what’s happening with Russia. There are also concerns about other parts of the world,” President Biden stated. “I believe that the American people are smart and know what their interests are. I think they understand that they are financially better off than before.”
The Labor Department released a highly anticipated report on Friday, stating that employers added 336,000 jobs last month. This exceeded economists’ predictions by 170,000 jobs and marked the largest increase since January.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.8%, which is historically low. Employers also raised pay by 4.2% as they competed for a limited pool of workers.
This positive news aligns with the White House’s announcement of the third Investment in America tour, which aims to highlight President Biden’s economic agenda known as Bidenomics.
However, the report also revealed that average real wages have declined over the past year due to rising prices, which undermines worker gains.
President Biden has made economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic a central focus of his reelection campaign. He and his administration have traveled across the country, emphasizing that the current economy is in better shape than under former President Donald Trump.
Nevertheless, poll data indicates that the president’s argument for an economic recovery is not resonating with voters. Many Americans remain skeptical about the state of the economy.
Inflation, though slightly lower after reaching a 40-year high last year, has overshadowed Mr. Biden’s claims of job growth and wage increases.
According to Real Clear Politics’ aggregate of multiple major polls, a significant majority of voters, 60%, disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the economy, while only 36.7% approve.
Some polls even suggest higher disapproval rates, like the recent CBS News poll which revealed that 65% of voters believe Mr. Biden has performed poorly in handling the economy, while only 35% approved.
