President Biden says US experienced ‘zero’ inflation in July
Joe Biden said Wednesday at the White House that there was zero percent inflation last month while urging Congress to pass the Inflation Reduction Act.
Conservatives on Twitter accused the White House of "lying to everyone" in its assessment of the inflation numbers for the month of July, which dropped on Wednesday.
President Biden and his press secretary outraged many on the social media platform on Wednesday by spinning the current inflation rate as "zero inflation."
During an address from the White House, Biden claimed, "Before I begin today, I want to say a word about news that came out today relative to the economy. Actually, I just want to say a number: Zero."
He emphasized, "Today we received news that our economy had zero percent inflation in the month of July."
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President Biden claimed that inflation is at "zero percent" on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
Though, Fox Business reported on the latest Consumer Price Index number, which "rose 8.5% in July from a year ago, below the 9.1% year-over-year surge recorded in June." The rate was less than the CPI number in June, and .2% lower than the 8.7% CPI rate recorded in May.
That means inflation "slowed in July for the first time in months," as the outlet reported, though it’s only .2% less than the highest CPI (8.7%) in 40 years. Essentially inflation remains almost as bad as it’s been all summer. And it’s not "zero."
Perhaps Biden meant "zero" as in "zero increase" in inflation.
Conservatives on Twitter were quick to point this out.
The Media Research Center Twitter account provided the actual inflation rate, tweeting, "Biden says there is 0% inflation. CPI was 8.5% for July."
Incredulous, Wall Street Journal film critic Kyle Smith tweeted, "not a slip of the tongue either, he actually meant to say this."
"Fact checkers all took the summer off," tweeted The Spectator editor Stephen L. Miller, mocking the fact that Biden could get away with such spin.
American Greatness senior fellow Ned Ryun listed Biden’s spin on inflation among the major spinning the administration has done regarding other issues. "New Leftist math: 8.5% inflation in July in fact equals 0. I mean, why not? Let’s redefine woman, recession, the very meaning of definition while we’re at. . . Oh wait, they already did that. . . Maybe they could change definition of gravity and then jump out of a plane??" he tweeted.
Republican communications expert Matt Whitlock slammed Biden’s assessment, tweeting, "Highest food prices since Jimmy Carter and the White House is trying to convince people inflation is 0% and they're doing great. They're not just going to get crushed in November for failing. They're going to get crushed for lying to everyone and saying it's all fine."
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., countered Biden, tweeting, "The price of food is up 10.9% from this time last year—another 40+ year high. President Biden can try to spin it however he wants, but the American people know that today’s inflation report is bad news."
A woman picks food at a fresh market in New York City on July 26, 2022. (John Smith/VIEWpress)
ACT for America founder Brigitte Gabriel accused Biden of "lying" from the podium. She stated, "Joe Biden is lying again. Inflation is not at 0% in July, it's at 8.5%. Where are the fact checkers to call out this disinformation?"
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From her official White House press secretary Twitter account, Karine Jean-Pierre spun the CPI report in the exact same way as her boss.
The White House press secretary tweeted, "We just received news that our economy had 0% inflation in July. While the price of some things went up, the price of others, like gas, clothing, and more, dropped."
Conservatives torched this appraisal as fiercely as they did Biden’s.
Washington Times columnist Tim Young showed no mercy for Jean-Pierre, responding with "FACT CHECK: TOTAL F----- LIE."
Former Daily Wire commentator Beth Baumann responded, "0% inflation? Tell that to every single family struggling to put food on the table, gas in their cars to get to work, and keep a roof over their heads. This is one of the most out-of-touch, elitist statements I've ever heard."
Matt Whitlock also saved a comment for Jean-Pierre, writing "This is wild. Do you know this is a lie?"
CBS sportscaster Jay Feely responded to Jean-Pierre’s post with a photo of a Wall Street Journal headline, which reported, "U.S. inflation was 8.5% in July, holding close to its highest annual rate in four decades despite easing energy costs."
And Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted, "Gas is up 44% from last year. Electricity is up 15.2% from last year. Food is the most expensive since 1979. The Biden White House is living in a fairytale while Americans are living in a nightmare."
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Though gas prices and inflation still remains near record highs, the White House claimed inflation for the month of July was "zero." ( Reuters/Mike Blake/File Photo)
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