During a speech this week, President Biden admitted that the United States appears to be heading in the wrong direction under his watch, but he still attempted to argue that the economy is performing well.
“Our economy is growing but not without pain,” Biden claimed, even though the U.S. economy shrunk by 1.6% in the first quarter of 2022 and is projected to shrink by 2.1% in the second quarter.
“Liberty is under assault — assault both here and abroad. In recent days, there’s been reason to think that this country is moving backward, that freedom is being reduced, that rights we assumed were protected are no longer. A reminder that we remain in an ongoing battle for the soul of America, as we have for over 200 years,” Biden added.
Biden’s comments come shortly after an Associated Press-NORC poll found that Americans are “deeply pessimistic about the state of the country and the economy. A view that is reflected in President Joe Biden’s approval rating, which continues to hover around 39%. About 9 in 10 Republicans disapprove, along with nearly three in 10 Democrats.”
“The national dissatisfaction is bipartisan. Most Americans, 85%, say the country is headed in the wrong direction. A majority of Republicans have been unhappy with the direction of the country since Biden’s election. Democrats had been positive about how things were going, but now 78% say the country is headed in the wrong direction,” the report said.
The report noted that dissatisfaction with “how the president is handling the economy has been growing, as inflation continues to rise, interest rates increase, and stocks entered a bear market. Twenty-eight percent approve of Biden’s stewardship of the economy, down from 51% a year ago.”
