DNC chair pressed on Biden campaign's happy talk on economy amid low polls: 'Does not appear to work'

Blackwell asked the DNC chair if the 'Bidenomics' message was a 'vulnerability' for the president

CNN presses DNC chair on President Biden's economic messaging: 'Does not appear to work'

CNN's Victor Blackwell pressed DNC Chair Jaime Harrison on President Biden's economic campaign messaging on Wednesday, arguing that it doesn't appear to be working. 

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison was pressed by CNN host Victor Blackwell on Wednesday about the president's "Bidenomics" push despite polling that shows Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of Biden's handling of the economy.

Blackwell asked Harrison about a CNN poll that found that 63% of Americans disapprove of the president's handling of the economy. 

"His campaign thus far has focused on the economy, it does not appear to work. Why?" Blackwell asked. 

Harrison said they needed to keep getting out there to make sure that "people connect."

dnc chair pressed on biden campaigns happy talk on economy amid low polls does not appear to work

CNN's Victor Blackwell pressed DNC Chair Jaime Harrison about President Biden's positive economic messaging on Wednesday.  (Screenshot/CNN)

WHITE HOUSE RIDICULED FOR DEFENDING BIDEN'S ECONOMIC RECORD AS 'INCREDIBLY POPULAR:' 'WITH WHO?'

"Good things are going on with the president. They're happening because of his policies, consumer confidence is up, job satisfaction is up. Unemployment at a record low right now," Harrison said. 

"You talk about the things that are going up, gas prices are going up, 25 cents over the last month. A nickel off the price about a year ago. The mortgage rates are going up, 20-year-high, more than a 20-year high," the CNN host responded.

Though Blackwell also noted the administration previously "explaining" that it was "outside the president's control."

"We get that, but this is what people feel. Is there a vulnerability in tying the president’s reelection campaign, using his name with economics when so many people feel so sourly about the economy? Is that a vulnerability for the president?" the anchor asked. 

dnc chair pressed on biden campaigns happy talk on economy amid low polls does not appear to work

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 15: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to guests at Ingeteam Inc., an electrical equipment manufacturer, on August 15, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Biden used the opportunity to speak about his "Bidenomics" economic plan on the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

BIDEN GETS FAILING GRADE ON JOBS, INFLATION DESPITE BRAGGING ABOUT ‘BIDENOMICS’: POLL

Harrison insisted it was not a vulnerability and argued that the U.S. was still at the front of the line. 

"We have fought back on inflation, because of the Inflation Reduction Act. We have seen a precipitous drop in terms of inflation in this country. And so every economic measure out there shows that we are not going into a recession. We are roaring, roaring back into the future on this economic message," he said.  

Blackwell confronted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre earlier this month on the president's weak poll numbers. 

He told Jean-Pierre that Americans were not happy with Biden's performance on the economy. 

She responded by arguing that polls "don’t show everything." 

dnc chair pressed on biden campaigns happy talk on economy amid low polls does not appear to work

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismisses polling showing American disapprove of President Biden's handling of the economy. (Screenshot/CNN)

A Fox News Poll published Thursday found that voters feel that the president has made things worse. 

Twenty-five percent feel the White House has made the economy better, up from 17% last summer. The poll found that twice as many say it has made things worse (52%), and one in five says it made no difference (22%). 

Fox News' Dana Blanton contributed to this report.

For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media

Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.

Authored by Hanna Panreck via FoxNews August 23rd 2023