'The View' co-host Joy Behar asks Karine Jean-Pierre how to convince Americans that high gas prices and inflation aren't Joe Biden's fault
Joy Behar asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about how to convince Americans that inflation and high gas prices were not President Joe Biden's fault.
On Thursday, "The View" co-host Joy Behar asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre how to convince Americans that skyrocketing inflation and gas prices were not President Biden's fault.
"The case has been made that inflation is an intractable problem around the world. We talk about it here all the time, and not just in a crisis in the states but in the eyes of many voters, ‘the buck stops with the president,’ to paraphrase Harry Truman. But with the president's handling of inflation and the economy hitting lows in recent polls, how do you make the case to voters that his economic policies are working, that it's not his fault, that inflation is a worldwide problem, that the gas prices are not Joe Biden's fault? How do you do that?" Behar asked.
Jean-Pierre emphasized that it was a "global challenge" and that it was connected to "Russia's war."
"When the president walked into the White House over a year ago, the economy was tanking, schools were closed, small businesses were shutting down," she said, adding that the president needed to address issues relating to the pandemic. "Another thing he was able to do was pass the American Rescue Plan, his plan that only Democrats voted for and now you fast-forward to today, we do have some unique strengths, we do have a strong economy."
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Karine Jean-Pierre is introduced by Jennifer Psaki as President Joe Biden's next White House press secretary, May 5, 2022. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
Jean-Pierre claimed that when people "look at their household balance sheets, it is strengthened in a way because of what the president has done."
She said that the economy was in a transition and that "we're going through that transition to be more in a stable, steady growth, and that's how we believe we'll be able to fight inflation."
Co-host Sara Haines asked the press secretary about the president's decision to call on Congress to pass a gas tax holiday.
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Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has frequently stumbled since taking over the podium. (AP)
"Anything helps," Jean-Pierre said, adding: "18 cents per gallon is going to make a difference for many." She noted that Biden also called on states to lift their gas taxes.
"The president has been working for the past several months on doing everything that he can to give relief. We have to remember how we got here, what is the cause, you know, Putin’s war, we call it Putin’s tax hike has caused gas prices to go up $2 per gallon," she said.
The New York Times reported earlier in June that many Democrats were voicing private concerns over Biden's leadership ability ahead of 2024, with some believing that he "should be cut loose."
Former Obama White House adviser David Axelrod told the paper that Biden's age would be a "major issue" going in to the 2024 presidential race.
"The president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue," he told the outlet.
Behar said Axelrod should "keep his mouth shut" about the president's age.
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Joy Behar said Tuesday that David Axelrod should keep his mouth shut about President Biden's age. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
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CNN's Don Lemon interviewed Jean-Pierre recently and asked if there were concerns over the president's mental fitness. Jean-Pierre laughed off the question and said that it wasn't something anyone should be asking.
"That is not a question that we should be even asking," she said. "Just look at the work he does. And look how he's delivering for the American public."