Pelosi suggests Americans don't understand Biden's accomplishments, gets roasted

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Sen. Cotton on Biden’s SOTU address: I hope he announces no more half-measures on Russian sanctions

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., weighs in on President Biden’s performance ahead of his State of the Union speech.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was blasted on Twitter Tuesday for suggesting that President Biden is underwater in polling because Americans don’t know what he’s accomplished.

"I think tonight is going to be very important," the San Francisco Democrat told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell hours before Biden’s State of the Union address when asked about pessimism about the economy that has shown up in multiple polls in recent months. "Because for people to appreciate what the president has done, and working together with the Congress, they have to know what it is."

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: U.S President Joe Biden gives remarks at a Black History Month celebration. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

BIDEN'S STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH CANNOT HIDE THE CRISES HE CREATED

Pelosi’s comment was widely criticized on Twitter including from a Twitter account belonging to the Republican National Committee that said Pelosi was labeling Americans dissatisfied with the president as "ignorant."

"An elitist millionaire hypocrite, in love with parading her false virtue, peddling lies to the emotionally fragile lib masses, while always exempting herself from the negative consequences of policies she pushes,’ radio host and former CIA analyst Buck Sexton tweeted. "Pelosi in so many ways is the archetype of a Democrat."

"Democrats, please campaign on the whole ‘Americans are too ignorant to fully appreciate Biden’ message," Duane Patterson, producer of the Hugh Hewitt show, tweeted. "In fact, that message is solid enough to run with through 2024."

STATE OF THE UNION: WORLD ON EDGE, US ECONOMY TEETERING, BIDEN TO MAKE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL SPEECH OF HIS LIFE

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks to reporters during her weekly press conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022.  (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)

"Again the Democrats fall back on the lie they tell themselves that they’re unpopular only because they haven’t communicated well enough," Former Trump communications director Tim Murtaugh tweeted. "In fact, the people are well aware of what Biden has done. And they see the results of the policies. That’s why Biden is unpopular."

"Go with that message," American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Marc Thiessen tweeted.

"So we Americans are all stupid and clueless," former Republican Congresswoman Nan Hayworth tweeted. "Remember, the Left ALWAYS projects."

In a statement to Fox News, Pelosi Chief of Staff Drew Hammill said the RNC's initial Twitter post represented "desperation."

"The RNC’s desperation aside, the Speaker is clearly talking about the need to highlight the President’s accomplishments," Hammill said. 

Biden is set to deliver his first State of the Union address tonight a week after a Fox News poll showed that only 31% of voters are satisfied with the direction the country is heading. Additionally, 58% of the poll’s respondents said that the country is worse off today than it was at the same time a year ago.

On the economy, 24% of voters say it is in excellent or good shape, down from 29% earlier in Biden’s term (April 2021). Three times as many, 76%, say economic conditions are only fair or poor.

On the individual level, 50% feel like they have less money in their pocket compared to a year ago. Few, 14%, say they have more cash, while for 36% there’s no difference.  Those who feel they’ve been hit hardest include working class Whites (60%), rural voters (58%), independents (54%), suburban women (52%), and voters with income under $50K (52%). 

In addition, large numbers say higher prices for groceries (77%), gas (72%), and utilities (70%) are a financial hardship for their family.  A smaller number (57%), though still a majority, call increasing housing costs a hardship.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions during a news conference in the East Room of the White House on January 19, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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And they blame Biden.  More than twice as many think the administration’s actions on inflation are hurting rather than helping, and nearly two-thirds say Biden is at least somewhat responsible for rising gas prices.

Those gloomy perceptions have pushed disapproval of Biden’s handling of the economy to a record 61%.  Thirty-seven percent approve. 

Fox News’ Dana Blanton contributed to this report