With his approval rating hovering in the low 40s, President Joe Biden reportedly believes that one way to boost his approval ratings is to be more in the public eye.
But if people thought that meant he would be more available to the press, they were mistaken. After going over 100 days without sitting down for an interview with a journalist, Biden finally agreed to do an interview with The Associated Press last week.
However, some reporters have had a difficult time asking him questions in informal settings, due to Biden ignoring them or being pulled away by First Lady Jill Biden.
And there seems to be a good reason for limiting the amount of time Biden can speak unscripted to reporters. The chances are high that heāll say something that makes no sense or has to be walked back, or he could yell at them.
Or, like on Monday, he might accuse them of making stuff up and downplay the question.
A reporter asked the president about some economists who are warning that a ārecession is more likely than ever.ā
āNot ā the majority of them arenāt saying that. Come on, donāt make things up, okay,ā Biden fired back.
He added, āNow you sound like a Republican politician. Iām joking. That was a joke.ā
Watch the video below:
Biden added, āBut all kidding aside, no, I donāt think it is .ā
āI was talking to Larry Summers this morning, and thereās nothing inevitable about a recession,ā he insisted.
It may be true that a majority of economists are not predicting that the Economy is heading toward a recession.
However, there are some who are.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at a financial conference earlier this month that there is an āeconomic hurricaneā on the way.
āThat hurricane is right out there down the road coming our way⦠You better brace yourself,ā he added.
Meanwhile, former Treasury secretary Larry Summers told CNN that āthe unfortunate, painful factā is that the combination of low unemployment and high Inflation makes a recession more likely.
After years of predictions that there would be a former President Donald Trumpās tenure ā setting aside the recession caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns ā one might be skeptical of the current predictions of a recession.
Yes, Biden probably wants to calm Americansā nerves, as well as the market, but because he doesnāt like the prospect of a recession doesnāt mean itās a good idea to joke around about it ā even if it is during a casual stroll on the beach ā because this administration has a something of a history of dismissing warnings only to have them come to fruition.
