Perceptions of economic well-being are a vital indication of voters' feelings when voting for President. 2024 is no different, with Americans increasingly dissatisfied with the rate of inflation and rising prices. Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) discussed this relationship in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Evening Edit, noting the bleeding support for President Biden due to economic trends.
Host Elizabeth MacDonald began by suggesting that while prices rise, wage growth does not, calling it "tough stuff." Rep. Biggs agreed, saying the Biden Administration is denying the reality of the country's economic state.
"It is, and you can gaslight the American people and tell them how wonderful it is, but if you are living in the real world, you know that when you go to the grocery store, and I go every weekend with my wife, prices are up. It is a little bit tougher," said Rep. Biggs.
Does Texas have a constitutional right to defy Supreme Court on protecting its border?
Additionally, he noted that residents of the Grand Canyon State cannot take "real" vacations and go out of state to less hot places for summer; instead, they stay within Arizona's boundaries. Moreover, while gas prices have become cheaper, at $3.80 per gallon from $4.50, they are still expensive.
"But you know what? People still are getting this, and Bill Clinton was right [and] this is where Ronald Reagan was right: It was always about the economy. That is what drives how people consider the success or failure of a Presidential administration," Biggs continued.
MacDonald then cited a recent poll suggesting Latino voters trust former President Donald Trump over President Biden on the immigration issue, purpling a once solidly blue voting bloc.
Biggs replied that legal residents and naturalized citizens "understand the pressure that just rampant insecurity on the border causes to us as a nation, but they also understand it in a very 'micro-sense.' How does it affect their micro-economy? Is it harder for them to get jobs [and] to maintain jobs? And they know the answer is 'yes.' And so they know what is happening."
Fellow Arizona Republican Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ) similarly derided the June 2024 jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, calling the claims within the report "election year math" that does not accurately reflect economic realities.
