WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden told The Associated Press on Thursday that the American people are 鈥渞eally, really down鈥� after a tumultuous two years with the , volatility in and now surging that are slamming family budgets.
He said a recession is not inevitable and bristled at claims by Republican lawmakers that last year's COVID-19 aid plan was fully to blame for inflation reaching a 40-year high, calling that argument 鈥渂izarre.鈥�
As for the overall American mindset, Biden said, 鈥淧eople are really, really down.鈥�
鈥淭hey鈥檙e really down," he said. "The need for mental health in America, it has skyrocketed, because people have seen everything upset. Everything they鈥檝e counted on upset. But most of it鈥檚 the consequence of what鈥檚 happened, what happened as a consequence of the COVID crisis.鈥�
Speaking to the AP in a 30-minute Oval Office interview, Biden addressed the warnings by economists that the United States could be headed for a recession.
鈥淔irst of all, it鈥檚 not inevitable,鈥� he said. "Secondly, we鈥檙e in a stronger position than any nation in the world to overcome this inflation.鈥�
As for the causes of inflation, Biden flashed some defensiveness on that count. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 my fault, why is it the case in every other major industrial country in the world that inflation is higher? You ask yourself that? I鈥檓 not being a wise guy,鈥� he said.
The president said he saw reason for optimism with the 3.6% unemployment rate and America鈥檚 relative strength in the world.
鈥淏e confident, because I am confident we鈥檙e better positioned than any country in the world to own the second quarter of the 21st century,鈥� Biden said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not hyperbole, that鈥檚 a fact.鈥�
Biden鈥檚 bleak assessment of the national psyche comes as voters have soured on his job performance and the direction of the country. Only 39% of U.S. adults approve of Biden鈥檚 performance as president, from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Research, dipping from already negative ratings a month earlier.
Overall, only about 2 in 10 adults said the U.S. is heading in the right direction or that the economy is good, both down from about 3 in 10 in April. Those drops were concentrated among Democrats, with just 33% within the president鈥檚 party saying the country is headed in the right direction, down from 49% in April.
The president outlined some of the hard choices he has faced, saying the U.S. needed to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine in February even though tough sanctions imposed as a result of that war have caused gas prices to surge, creating a political risk for Biden in an election year. He called on oil companies to think of the world's short-term needs and increase production.
Asked why he ordered the financial penalties against Moscow that have disrupted food and energy markets globally, Biden said he made his calculation as commander in chief rather than as a politician thinking about the election.
鈥淚'm the president of the United States,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's what鈥檚 best in the country. No kidding. No kidding. So what happens? What happens if the strongest power in NATO, the organizational structure we put together, walked away from Russian aggression?鈥�
Biden spun out the possibility of chaos in Europe if an unimpeded Russia kept moving deeper into the continent, and North Korea grew even more aggressive with its .
Biden renewed his contention that have benefited from higher prices without increasing production as much as they should. He said the companies needed to think of the world in the short term, not just their investors.
鈥淒on鈥檛 just reward yourselves," he said.
Josh Boak, The Associated Press
