AUBURN, ME — President Joe Biden on Friday made a visit to Maine for the first time since taking office, touting his economic recording and taking a dig at impeachment talk by top Republicans.
Speaking at the manufacturing facility in Auburn, Biden joked that Republicans may attempt to impeach him for inflation going down.
“Republicans may have to find something else to criticize me for now that inflation is coming down. Maybe they’ll try to impeach me because it’s coming down,” he said.
Earlier this week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said multiple investigations into the business dealings of Biden’s family are “rising to the level of an impeachment inquiry.”
The comments from McCarthy are the most explicit he’s been about impeaching the president to date but he would walk back those comments a day later.
Biden touted the recent positive economic numbers as well as credited his administration’s efforts with easing inflation, hoping to change voters’ minds about the economy ahead of the 2024 election.
“I came into office determined, determined from a trickle-down economics that everyone from the Financial Times to the Wall Street Journal called Bidenomics with a plan that’s working – building from the bottom up and the middle out,” Biden said.
“We have more to do, but like what I said – inflation is now at the lowest point it’s been in over two years. In fact, we have the lowest rate of inflation among the world’s major economies,” he added.
Biden’s remarks come as the economy has shown signs of improvement over the last few weeks. The gross domestic product grew by an adjusted 2.4% rate in the April-through-June period, a faster pace and above economists’ expectations.
The White House points to the figures as credit for Biden’s handling of the economy, which is being coined “Bidenomics”, hoping voters will credit the President for it.
Polls still show voters disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy, more specifically inflation. However, the given numbers being good news for the White House is a welcome sign those poll numbers could change.
“I’m not here to declare victory on the economy. We have more work to do,” Biden said. “Bidenomics is just another way of saying, ‘Restoring the American dream.’”
