Swing-state Democrats are reportedly disappointed with President Biden's messaging on inflation as the impact on everyday Americans continues to run deep.
"I remember being with a bunch of senior leaders in November, screaming my head off about the price of gas in November and being patted on my head and saying like, ‘Don’t worry, we got to get through Christmas and it’ll be better in 2022,’" Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said, according to CNN. "I don’t think that we have a great sense of where this is going."
CNN reported Thursday that the president's statement following the release of the June inflation numbers was "oddly discordant" as prices remain extremely high.
Biden said that the numbers were "unacceptably high" but also "out of date" because the price of gasoline dropped slightly in recent weeks.
INFLATION TIMELINE: MAPPING THE BIDEN ADMIN'S RESPONSE TO RAPID PRICE GROWTH
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the administration's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) surge response in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
"I know that people are really suffering with the inflation and while it is great news that in the last month that gas prices have gone down by about 40 cents per gallon, that’s not really the break people are looking for," Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-WI., said, according to CNN.
While Baldwin is not up for re-election, the race for Wisconsin's other Senate seat will help determine who controls the Senate in the midterms.
Inflation rose 9.1% in June from last year, hitting another 40-year high.
"The bad news for Democrats is that while Biden is predicting a fall in inflation, it is unlikely to be large enough to offset voter frustration in time for the midterms," CNN reported.
The CNN report also noted conflicting messaging coming from Biden and his economic advisers with regard to the president's trip to the Middle East.
REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGISTS WEIGH IN ON WHAT BIDEN NEEDS TO CHANGE TO STOP GOP IN NOVEMBER
President Joe Biden speaks during an arrival ceremony after arriving at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday, July 13, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Biden emphasized in an interview with N12 News Israel that the trip was about "stability in the Middle East."
"The President right now is in the Middle East because he wants to get as much oil on the market as possible," Council of Economic Advisers Chair Cecila Rouse, said Wednesday on CNN.
SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA - MAY 20: Gas prices over $6.00 per gallon are displayed at a Chevron gas station on May 20, 2022 in San Rafael, California. Gas prices in California have surpassed $6.00 per gallon for the first time ever. The average price per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in California is at $6.05 and $6.29 in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press conference in early June that oil was not the focus of the president's trip to Saudi Arabia.
She also said that oil production was not on the agenda.
"That’s something for OPEC to decide, clearly. Saudi Arabia chairs that, and so, we just want to be very clear on that," she said.
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