Democrats wholeheartedly reacted favorably to President Biden’s remarks on how he wants to tackle the economy, according to a focus group that offered their approval in real time during Thursday’s presidential debate, according to a Fox News Digital focus group.
The group of Republicans, Democrats and Independents used dials to react live to the beginning of the debate where Biden argued that his economic record was not worse than former President Trump’s.
“Let’s look at what I was left with when I became president. What Mr. Trump left me,” Biden said. “We had an economy that was in freefall. The pandemic was so badly handled. Many people were dying.”
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“The economy collapsed. There were no jobs. The unemployment rate rose to 15%” added Biden. “We’re in a situation where if you take a look at all that was done in his administration, he didn’t do much at all. By the time he left, things were in chaos.”
Democrats in the focus group agreed with the president, as opposed to Republicans and Independents, who went in the completely opposite direction.
The Republicans in the focus group nearly unanimously disagreed with Biden’s view on the Trump economy.
During the debate, both men sparred over inflation, with Biden saying Trump’s economy was so bad, there was no room for price increases that many Americans have had to live with in the past few years.
Democrats also agreed with Biden’s criticism of Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approval by Republicans and Independents trended downward.
Independents, however, seemed to agree somewhat when Biden said he wanted to cap “corporate greed” to lower prices of necessities like gas, groceries, prescription drugs and housing.
“There’s more to be done,” he said. “Working-class people are still in trouble. The combination that I was left with and corporate is the reason why we’re in this problem right now.”
“We’re working to bring down the price around the kitchen table and that’s what we’re going to get done,” he added.
