Joe Biden Falsely Claims He Inherited Worst Economy Since the Depression
Biden gets fact checked during speech before Congress
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Democrat Joe Biden claimed he inherited “the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression," during his speech before Congress on Wednesday.
But the claim is not true.
“I stand here tonight, one day shy of the 100th day of my administration,” Biden said.
“One hundred days since I took the oath of office — lifted my hand off our family Bible — and inherited a nation … in crisis,” he added.
“The worst pandemic in a century."
"The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.”
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Though it may be correct to claim the COVID-19 pandemic was the worst hit on the economy for more than a century, Biden's claims suggest he inherited the presidency during the worst of the pandemic.
WATCH:
President Joe Biden refers to the January 6 Capitol riot as the worst attack on American democracy since the Civil War. pic.twitter.com/I4PXNbAm2p
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 29, 2021
By the time Biden took office, COVID infections were already plummeting.
At the beginning of Janaury, new coronavirus cases had fallen from 300,669 to 186,916 on Jan. 20, the day Biden was sworn in.
By the time Biden inherited the office of the presidency, America, who was still under the leadership of then-President Donald Trump, was recovering from the crisis.
The Washington Post admitted this in Janaury:
“Even with vaccine shortages and bottlenecks in delivery, the pace needed to meet the new administration’s goal — 1 million doses administered per day — was already achieved Friday and four other days of the previous eight, according to Washington Post data,” The Post said.
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“The accelerating speed of the program undercuts assertions by some Biden advisers that they were left no plan by the Trump administration and suggested they need only to keep their feet on the pedal to clear the bar they set for themselves.”
Also, the economy was recovering by the time Biden entered office, according to the National Review fact check of Biden’s claim.
National Review noted:
“Had Biden taken office in April of 2020, he may have been able to claim the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."
"But claiming the economy was the worst in 90 years at the time he was sworn in has no basis in reality."
“It’s true that last spring, the unemployment rate had hit 13.3 percent."
"But in January 2021, it had been cut in half and was 6.3 percent.”
“You don’t have to go back to the 1930s to find that kind of joblessness — the unemployment rate was higher than 6.3 percent for the first five years of the Obama-Biden administration.”
