Psaki On Biden Struggling On Multiple Fronts: ‘We Certainly Don’t See Things As Darkly As You Do’

On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tried to downplay recent negative news headlines and repeated struggles that the Biden administration is having, telling a CNN reporter that the administration did not “see things as darkly” as he did.

“And then just going kind of big picture here: Today, we saw another jobs report that fell well below expectations — the smallest jobs gains in nearly a year,” CNN’s Jeremy Diamond said. “Gas prices are at a seven-year high. Inflation is up. The president is struggling to get the rest of his Build Back Better agenda passed through Congress. How do you assess where things stand right now with regards to his presidency? And do you see a need, at this point, to course correct, perhaps?”

“We certainly don’t see things as darkly as you do,” Psaki claimed. “Look, the president’s focus is on leading through a challenging time. And that has been his focus from the first day he took office. If you look at the data month-over-month, as I noted a few minutes ago, we have — he has also created 5 million jobs under his presidency. We have created an average of 500,000 jobs a month. We are at a faster rate of economic growth, a lower rate of unemployment than in quite some time. That’s progress. That’s moving exactly in the right direction.”

“And as it — as it relates to the president’s agenda, we’re continuing to press forward with members of Congress who have a broad range of views about the path forward. But we’re making progress. The president remains confident we’re going to get it done,” she claimed. “And this is what governing looks like.”

WATCH:

CNN’s Jeremy Diamond: “Today, we saw another jobs that fell well below expectations….Gas prices are at a seven-year high, inflation is up…How do you assess where things stand right now with regards to his presidency and do you see a need…to course correct, perhaps?” pic.twitter.com/IayP0b2Fbr

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 8, 2021

“Do you not see today’s jobs report as a warning sign in any way that perhaps the economy is not headed in the right direction — that perhaps the recovery is not going at the pace that it should be?” Diamond pressed.

“I don’t believe that’s what economists are projecting at this point in time,” Psaki responded.

WATCH:

Diamond: “Do you not see today’s jobs report as a warning sign in any way that perhaps the economy is not headed in the right direction, that perhaps recovery is not going at the pace that it should be?

Psaki: “I don’t believe that is what economists are projecting[.]” (2/2) pic.twitter.com/fUmMjfcs2g

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 8, 2021

TRANSCRIPT:

REPORTER: And then just going kind of big picture here: Today, we saw another jobs report that fell well below expectations — the smallest jobs gains in nearly a year. Gas prices are at a seven-year high.  Inflation is up. The president is struggling to get the rest of his Build Back Better agenda passed through Congress. How do you assess where things stand right now with regards to his presidency? And do you see a need, at this point, to course correct, perhaps?

PSAKI: We certainly don’t see things as darkly as you do. Look, the president’s focus is on leading through a challenging time. And that has been his focus from the first day he took office. If you look at the data month-over-month, as I noted a few minutes ago, we have — he has also created 5 million jobs under his presidency. We have created an average of 500,000 jobs a month. We are at a faster rate of economic growth, a lower rate of unemployment than in quite some time. That’s progress. That’s moving exactly in the right direction.

And as it — as it relates to the president’s agenda, we’re continuing to press forward with members of Congress who have a broad range of views about the path forward. But we’re making progress. The president remains confident we’re going to get it done.

And this is what governing looks like.

REPORTER: Do you not see today’s jobs report as a warning sign in any way that perhaps the economy is not headed in the right direction — that perhaps the recovery is not going at the pace that it should be?

PSAKI: I don’t believe that’s what economists are projecting at this point in time.

The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.