Washington
CNN
—
President Joe Biden has privately expressed his impatience to his top advisers as his White House struggles to change public opinion on his economic record ahead of the 2024 election. expressing his deep frustration at not being able to show off his physical build many projects that his legislative signature the achievements will be financed.
The president reportedly complained that even though he was traveling the country to tout landmark legislation like the bipartisan infrastructure law, it could be years before residents in some of the communities receiving federal funds see construction begin, according to three sources familiar with Biden’s comments to his top aides.
“There is immense frustration there, and he has expressed that very clearly,” one administration official said.
All three sources told CNN that the president — who spent several decades in the Senate — is fully aware of the realities of implementing big legislation, including how long it will take for federal funding to translate into tangible structures like bridges and railway tracks. Still, Biden has made clear to his advisers the importance of being able to present concrete examples of what these laws will help create across the country.
“He wants this stuff now,” a close White House ally said simply.
To better take credit for projects still in development, the White House this summer began placing signs at sites indicating future improvements made possible by the infrastructure law. The administration has announced some $400 billion so far for 40,000 infrastructure projects, according to the White House, and hundreds of thousands of panels will eventually be erected throughout the country with the message: “Project funded by President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law. » Biden himself has attended numerous inauguration ceremonies across the country.
But even as the White House highlights Biden’s legislative record and a series of strong economic indicators — including slowing inflation, record unemployment, a robust job market, improving consumer confidence and an increase in housing starts – public polls continue to show stubborn pessimism about the situation. the economy. With economic and financial issues being by far the most important concern of most voters, a CNN poll this month showed that seven in ten Americans consider the country’s economic conditions to be poor.
Biden will take his economic message on the road again Wednesday, traveling to the swing state of Wisconsin, where he will speak at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce to tout what the White House calls “a small business boom black”.
The White House and Biden’s campaign have made it clear that successfully touting the accomplishments of the president’s first term — such as signing a massive infrastructure deal, a bill aimed at boosting U.S. investment in manufacturing of chips, as well as a major package focused on climate and health care – will be key to convincing voters that the economy has made a dramatic turnaround under Biden’s leadership.
The White House also highlighted the administration’s work to reduce everyday costs across the board, including those for prescription drugs and reducing junk fees.
But to great concern of many Democrats, most voters seem far from convinced at this point.
Gloomy economic outlook could spell trouble for Biden in key battleground states: A New York Times/Sienna College poll of voters in six battleground states, showed that 62 percent of voters think the economy is only “fair” or “bad.” In a hypothetical matchup against former President Donald Trump, voters — by a margin of 59% to 37% — indicated they trusted the former Republican president more than Biden on the economy .
Senior Biden officials say they fully recognize the disconnect between the robust economic recovery and the public’s bleak outlook on the issue. Privately, it was acknowledged at the White House that the decision to label their economic program “bidenomic” was risky – a word that invites tribalism simply because it contains the president’s name.
But they also argue that there is still enough time for public opinion to improve before next November, particularly if they can get across the substance of what “Bidenomics” is supposed to represent – and if the inflation continues to slow and wages continue to rise.
And despite some internal concerns about the effectiveness of the phrase, Biden continues to use it in his speeches. He posted a photo on Instagram this week in front of a whiteboard with a three-point explanation of what “Bidenomics” means.
“Quickly and effectively” implementing the bills Biden signed is a top priority for the president, a White House spokesperson said in a statement provided to CNN.
“He constantly pushes his team to ensure we move forward as quickly as possible, and this approach has led to historic results: creating a record number of good-paying construction and manufacturing jobs, rebuilding our roads and bridges and reduce prescription drug costs. “, said the spokesperson. “He highlighted this progress across the country – visiting projects such as the Brent Spence Bridge in Kentucky and the Hudson River Tunnel in New York – and his administration helped rebuild I-95 in Philadelphia and the I -10 in Los Angeles in record time. .”
Biden’s top economic advisers acknowledge that changing the public’s view of the economy won’t happen overnight. The profoundly upsetting experience of the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought in its wake record prices across the board, is still fresh in people’s minds, a senior White House official told CNN, and there are few better solutions to it than the passage of time.
White House officials also view rising wages relative to inflation as a positive sign, but say Americans need more time to mentally process the benefits.
And it remains to be seen whether the ten-plus months remaining until next year’s November election will be enough for Biden’s team to fully reap the political rewards of its economic record.
Speaking in Las Vegas last week, the challenges of promoting projects that won’t be completed for years were evident. Biden was in town to promote billions of dollars in new investments in passenger rail, including a high-speed line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
But the project will take years to build; instead of a new train station, he spoke from a local carpenters’ union hall, hoping to emphasize that unions would be called upon to build the railway.
In his speech, Biden sought to compare his own record with that of his predecessor and most likely his 2024 rival, saying: “Trump just talks the talk, we walk the talk” when it comes to new infrastructure.
Still, it will be years before anyone takes the high-speed train to Las Vegas, the president acknowledged. Biden said the project was on track to be completed in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics hosted in California — almost at the end of his second term, if he is elected to one.
