The Biden campaign released a list of less-than-spirited talking points on Thursday aimed at helping his supporters navigate the “nonsense” political talk around the Thanksgiving table, the same day the 81-year-old president pleaded with Americans to “stop holding grudges” over political differences.
The list, which the Biden campaign calls “Your handy guide to responding to crazy MAGA nonsense this Thanksgiving,” is shared on X and included questionable claims about inflation, job creation and former President Donald Trump’s stance on the federal abortion ban.
“The economy is better under Trump!” read the first item on the list, referring to statements that supporters of the 2024 Republican presidential nominee might make at the dinner table.
To counter that claim, the Biden campaign suggested supporters respond by saying, “Wrong. Inflation is at its lowest in two years, the economy is growing, and unemployment is below 4% for the longest time on record. Just look at how much your Thanksgiving cost compared to last year – gas prices: cheaper. Turkey: cheaper. Eggs: cheaper. Joe Biden has created nearly 14 million jobs and the economy is growing.”
The list includes questionable claims about the president’s record on the economy and Trump’s stance on the abortion ban.
Under Biden, inflation hit a four-decade high of 9.1% in June 2022. The latest consumer price index figures show that price increases eased to 3.2% in October, but still remain higher than any month during the Trump administration.
Likewise, gas prices jumped to a national record high average of $5.01 a gallon in June 2022 and have since declined to about $3.27 a gallon as of Thursday, according to AAA, but still remain 88 cents higher than when Biden took office in January 2021 .
On food prices, the Farm Bureau Federation report found a “classic Thanksgiving meal for 10” in 2023 to cost $61.17, “a 4.5% decrease from last year’s historically high prices,” with lower turkey prices accounting for most of the price reduction.
But AFBF data also shows that Thanksgiving prices have risen 30% since 2020, with the classic meal costing $46.90 during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Republican National Committee also pointed out it was “the second most expensive Thanksgiving in the survey’s 38-year history.”
The list touts Biden’s record on inflation and job creation.AP
The Biden campaign’s job creation claims also appear to credit incumbents for jobs restored after unprecedented layoffs that occurred during the economic shutdown at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A House Budget Committee report released in June noted that about 72% of all job gains since 2021 are jobs recovered from the pandemic, not new job creation.
“In fact, when looking at today’s economy compared to pre-pandemic levels, employment only increased by 3.7 million. In contrast, before the pandemic, job creation under President Trump was 6.7 million – 3 million more jobs than the current President,” the report said.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also shows that Americans are taking home less money for their work due to inflation.
Average inflation-adjusted hourly earnings were $11.41 an hour in January 2021 when Biden took office and fell more than 3% to the current rate of $11.05 this October, according to the BLS.
Regarding abortion, Biden’s remarks claimed that “Trump supports a federal ban and says there should be penalties for women who have abortions.”
The former president actually raised conservative eyebrows in September when he blasted his GOP primary opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for signing a six-week ban on the procedure into state law.
The discussion was aimed at helping Biden supporters win arguments against Trump supporters on Thanksgiving.Getty Images
Trump called the move a “terrible mistake” and declined to say whether he would support a federal ban on abortion during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
He noted that “from a legal standpoint, I think it might be better” for abortion restrictions to be handled at the state level.
The guide to handling “mad MAGA nonsense” was released the same day president and first lady Jill Biden spoke by phone to NBC News’ Al Roker before the Thanksgiving Day parade in Manhattan and called on Americans to “stop the grudges.”
“On this Thanksgiving, Al, we need to come together,” the president said. “We can have different political views, but we have one view. One view is that we are the best and greatest country in the world. We have to focus on that.”
“We should focus on dealing with our problems and together and stop holding grudges. We need to bring the country together and treat each other with a little decency, and I think that’s where the majority of Americans are.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
