President Biden had a great week.
Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis did not.
First, through his and his team’s negotiation skills, they bested Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his allies on the legislation raising the debt ceiling to January 2025 without sacrificing his legislative achievements and domestic priorities.
They thwarted the designs of MAGA Republicans, who were encouraged by Republican Frontrunners Trump and DeSantis, who were willing to default on the nation’s financial obligations and throw the world into a global recession.
On the passage of the bill by the Senate last night (like the House, with more Democrats voting for the measure than Republicans,) the President stated:
“Tonight, Senators from both parties voted to protect the hard-earned economic progress we have made and prevent a first-ever default by the United States. Together, they demonstrated once more that America is a nation that pays its bills and meets its obligations—and always will be. I want to thank Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell for quickly passing the bill.
No one gets everything they want in a negotiation, but make no mistake: this bipartisan agreement is a big win for our economy and the American people.
It protects the core pillars of my Investing in America agenda that is creating good jobs across the country, fueling a resurgence in manufacturing, rebuilding our infrastructure, and advancing clean energy. It safeguards peoples’ health care and retirement security, protecting bedrock programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It protects vital investments in hardworking families that help make our country strong—from child care and education to public safety and Meals on Wheels. It protects my student debt relief plan for hardworking borrowers. And it honors America’s sacred obligation to our veterans by fully funding veterans’ medical care.
Our work is far from finished, but this agreement is a critical step forward and a reminder of what’s possible when we act in the best interests of our country. I look forward to signing this bill into law as soon as possible and addressing the American people directly tomorrow.”
The President plans to address the Nation from the Oval Office for the first time in his term tonight at 4:00 p.m. Arizona time.
When he does, another bit of great news he can report on is the May Jobs Report which showed a continuing hot labor market with 339,000 new jobs created.
On that news, the President issued another statement, offering:
“Today is a good day for the American economy and American workers. We learned this morning that the economy created 339,000 jobs last month. We have now created over 13 million jobs since I took office. That is more jobs in 28 months than any President has created in an entire 4-year term.
We also learned that the unemployment rate has been under 4 percent for 16 months in a row. The last time our nation had such a long stretch of low unemployment was in the 1960s. And the share of working-age Americans in the workforce is at its highest level in 16 years. Meanwhile, the annual inflation rate has fallen for 10 months in a row, and it’s down more than 40 percent since last summer. During that time, take-home pay for workers has gone up, even after accounting for inflation.
In short, the Biden economic plan is working. And due to the historic action taken by Congress this week, my economic plan will continue to deliver good jobs for the American people in communities throughout the country. I look forward to signing the bipartisan budget agreement into law. The agreement protects our historic and hard-earned economic recovery and all the progress that American workers have made in the last two years. And it protects key priorities and accomplishments from the last two years. Our work is far from finished, but this agreement is a reminder of what’s possible when we act in the best interests of our country.”
This was a good week for President Biden.
The twice impeached, indicted, popular vote loser, and KKK-endorsed Donald Trump, who may have said on tape, he knowingly kept classified documents about a war plan against Iran, did not.
Ron DeSantis, who had a horrible opening of his Presidential campaign with a failed Twitter campaign unveiling, and a poor reception among the masses due to his lack of a sparkling personality and their aversion to policies supporting a six-week abortion ban, banning books, and warring on Mickey Mouse, did not.
While it is too early to say accurately which Presidential candidate will prevail in 2024, most objective observers would probably conclude that President Biden improved his case for reelection while the two leading MAGA candidates did not.