WASHINGTON — Since June, President Joe Biden has freely sprinkled the word “”Bidenomic” in his speeches and remarks mentioning the economy – 101 times, to be exact.
In doing so, he linked his name to a set of administration policies that most Americans believe have not worked, according to a recent poll. In a NBC News Poll conducted this month, only 38% of respondents approved of Biden’s handling of the economy.
Now, the word “bidenomics” appears to have been removed entirely from Biden’s comments on the economy. He hasn’t used it in public remarks since Nov. 1, when he compared Bidenomics to the “American dream” in a speech in Minnesota.
The word was missing from Offereis notBrands in Colorado on Wednesday when he spoke about the Inflation Reduction Act, and he didn’t mention it Tuesday at a campaign reception. The word also did not appear in Biden’s remarks a day earlier on supply chains. Nor was it mentioned in his speeches at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this month in California, nor in his remarks at fundraisers in San Francisco and Chicago. The same goes for his economic speeches of November 6 and 9.
The “Bidenomics” image, however, has not disappeared from the White House and the president’s re-election campaign. Wednesday’s event in Colorado was billed as a way to “highlight how Bidenomics is driving record investment in Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s district,” according to a White House statement.
The White House YouTube page also referred to Biden’s speech Wednesday as “remarks on bidenomics.” The word was also displayed around the president’s podium for his remarks in Colorado.
The absence of the word in Biden’s speeches comes as some Democratic strategists and Biden allies have criticized the branding.
“I don’t like it either,” said Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said.
In response to a request for comment, Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler on Wednesday quoted gross domestic product revised upwards in the third quarter, at 5.2%, and said in a statement that “this economic story focuses on the number of times the president has said a single particular word instead of highlighting the many ways his policies have reduced costs for middle-class families, created millions of jobs, and made record investments to make America own the future.
“That’s what this administration and this campaign are focused on: delivering results for the American people,” he added.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment.
The administration often associates Bidenomics with the idea of growing the economy “from the middle up, not the top down.” Although this language was included in Wednesday’s speech, this is not the case with “Bidenomics” itself.
The White House has also used the word to contrast the president’s policies with “MAGAnomics,” a term Biden has used to describe the Republican economic agenda.
“The country should know the facts. They should know the choice between Bidenomics and MAGAnomics,” Biden said in a September 14 speech.
He also linked Bidenomics to the American Dream – something he did twice in his November 1 remarks.
“My friends, bidenomics is just another way of saying the American dream,” Biden said that day.
Other times, Biden has used the word to highlight investments, unions and efforts to empower workers.
“As part of Bidenomics, we are investing in the industries of the future so that the future is made in America,” he said in an October 13 speech.
No longer citing Bidenomics could be a positive sign for the president’s re-election campaign, said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley.
“Because ‘Reaganomics’ seemed to have taken hold, it made sense to buy ‘Bidenomics.’ But it fell flat. It looks a bit like Gerald Ford’s “Whip Inflation Now” buttons. Nobody wants to hold up banners saying, ‘I like Bidenomics,'” Brinkley said. “So it’s probably a healthy sign that they’re revamping a campaign slogan to highlight what they see as their administrative accomplishments.”
