CNN host Jake Tapper told off the White House to their faces this week while discussing the out of control inflation affecting the United States.
Tapper was speaking with Council of Economic Advisers Chairwoman Cecilia Rouse when the issue turned to the recent comments made by former Obama-era official Fred Hochberg. Hochberg had suggested that Biden could reduce inflation by removing some of former President Trump’s tariffs on China.
Rouse suggested that Biden is currently reviewing the proposal and had not made a decision on how to proceed. It was that statement that set Tapper off.
The CNN anchor had clearly become annoyed by the responses from the White House officials and their general inaction. He told Rouse, “I just feel like every month, one of you nice people from the White House comes on this show to talk about inflation and you talk about these tools in the president’s tool kit and then you don’t use them! You don’t use these tools.”
Tapper continued, “There’s debating and discussing going on and meanwhile prices are still going up.”
Rouse suggested that President Biden is currently focused on securing more oil for the United States. Biden is in the Middle East this week and is expected to meet personally with the Saudi Arabian royal family to try and get them to lower the cost of oil and increase production in response to embargos on Russian oil.
She also told Tapper that the president was calling on Congress to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health care, and utilities for Americans, adding that we need to “lower the deficit” as well.
Still unsatisfied with her responses, Tapper told the White House official, “It seems clear that the Biden administration has misjudged how bad inflation was going to get for months and months and months.”
This week it was reported that the Consumer Price Index saw inflation rise by a staggering 9.1% in June alone, exceeding expectations and setting a 40 year record. Joe Biden has disputed this number, however, saying it is “out-of-date” because it doesn’t reflect a recent drop in gas prices.
Jake Tapper is not alone in his anger at Biden and his leadership concerning the US economy. A recent poll showed that even 78% of Democrats are dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Do you think there is anything Biden can do to save his presidency at this point or is it just too late?
