David Axelrod slams Biden’s 'Putin Price Hike' talking point: 'People don't believe that'
'He's got to lead us through it,' Stephanie Cutter said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}David Axelrod, former chief campaign strategist and senior advisor to former President Obama, criticized the White House messaging surrounding inflation and increased gas prices during his "Hacks on Tap" podcast Tuesday.
"Then now, they've overcorrected and so for a few days he was saying, you know, everything is Putin's price hikes, inflation is Putin's fault," Axelrod said. "People don't believe that either, they know that they had inflation before this. They know that gas prices were high before this. They haven't dialed this in quite right yet. You can't blame everything in the economy on Putin."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"What should be blamed on Putin, should be blamed on Putin," he continued.
President Biden, members of the administration, and other lawmakers have sought to blame increased gas prices and inflation on Putin. White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield used the term "Putin Price Hike" in a tweet where she noted "gas prices have been going up — up 75 cents since he began his military build-up."
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about assistance the U.S. government is providing to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion of the neighboring country, in the Eisenhower Office Building's South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 16, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner (REUTERS/Tom Brenner)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Sunday that inflation "starts with Putin." She also slammed the idea that government spending was the cause of inflation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The government spending is doing the exact reverse, reducing the national debt. It is not inflationary," she said.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 22, 2021. Pelosi discussed her reasons for rejecting two Republicans chosen by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to be on the committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Stephanie Cutter, who also served as an advisor to Obama, joined hosts Axelrod and Mike Murphy, a longtime political media consultant, to discuss Biden's handling of the crisis in Ukraine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cutter cited polling earlier in the podcast that showed 50% of Americans approved of how the president was responding to the situation in Ukraine.
"He hasn't hit 50% mark on issues in a long time," she said. "So I think that's encouraging, we're only 20 days in, you know gas prices are at a record high and likely to go higher."
She noted Exxon's recent report of its latest profits and said that American oil companies "collectively made $200 billion" in 2021. Cutter asked how the president should respond, wondering if he should investigate price gouging and "try to hold them accountable" or "call on Congress to provide subsidies."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It depends on how he leads through this, but he's got to lead, he can't let this happen to the country. He's got to lead us through it," she continued.
President Joe Biden speaks about Ukraine in the East Room of the White House (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Murphy contended that Biden had a "weakness narrative" from the beginning and that the latest polling numbers gave him "a real chill."
"The approval ratings crept up a little bit, but is Biden a strong leader? 41 yes, 57 no," he said. "So if Ukraine's helping him, it ain't helping him much." He also noted Biden's polling on the economy, "39 positive, 59 negative."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That weakness narrative has stuck to him," he said.
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Inflation hit another record-high in February, increasing to 7.9%. Gas prices jumped 6.6 percent and accounted for nearly a third of the overall price hikes.