A Recession Is ‘Not Inevitable’, Biden Says, As He Acknowledges The Nation’s Mood Is Down

In the interview, Biden pushed back against the notion that his Covid relief package helped drive up inflation, saying there was “zero evidence of that” and adding that his administration had helped drive down the national deficit and unemployment.

Biden insisted that a recession—as many economists have predicted—was not “inevitable” and said every other major industrial country in the world is facing high inflation at the moment.

The president acknowledged that after two years of the pandemic, Covid deaths, school shutdowns and job losses, the mood of the American people was “really, really down” and there was a need for mental health support.

Biden blamed the current high gas prices on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but insisted that pushing back against Moscow’s aggression was in the best interests of the U.S. and its European allies.

Biden said Putin is trying to “occupy and wipe out a culture of an entire people” in Ukraine and if NATO hadn’t intervened, countries like Poland and the Czech Republic would be next.

Biden said he believes that he has the requisite votes to pass a smaller version of his domestic spending bill that previously failed due to opposition from fellow Democrats like Joe Manchin and added that it may help cut down prices for some essentials including prescription drugs and utilities.