Biden blames high gas prices for US economic pessimism

in an interview with Associated pressUS President Joe Biden blamed rising gas prices for the country’s economic pessimism, saying that “things were much more optimistic” before that.

The Democratic president has acknowledged that Americans pay a lot more to put food on the table and fuel their cars, which adds weight to his popularity. “If you want a direct barometer of what people will be talking about at the kitchen table or dining room and things are going well, that’s the cost of food and the cost of gas at the pump,” he said.

Sanctions on Russia

Biden said that efforts to punish Russia for the US invasion of Ukraine did not take into account the domestic political impact. Without such action, he said, “I’m afraid what will happen next is you see chaos in Europe.”

“It’s not about my political survival. It’s about what’s best for this country,” he added.

Biden claimed that he was prepared to pay a political price as a result, and said his advice to young people interested in public service is “Don’t get involved if you don’t know what’s worth losing.”

Optimism for legislation

Still stunned by the collapse of a massive Democratic package in December to expand the social safety net and address climate change, Biden expressed hope that a scaled-down bill could pass before the midterm elections in November.

Objections from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin dampened previous efforts amid concerns about inflation. Biden needs all 50 Democrats to support a package to circumvent the GOP opposition. “There’s more than one way to cut the cost of workers,” he said.

Sanity

More than two years after the pandemic, Biden said people were “very, very upset”.

But he said he was optimistic about the country’s future and that Americans should feel that way too, even though most voters said the country was on the wrong track. “Be confident, because I am confident that we are in a better position than any country in the world to dominate the second quarter of the 21st century,” he said. “This is not an exaggeration, it’s a fact.”