Around 80% of survey respondents said the economy and inflation were the main determining factors in deciding who they would vote for in November.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel
Top Democratic advisers told CNN that they are advising US President and incumbent candidate Joe Biden to stop praising his own record and instead attack his opponent, former President and current GOP candidate Donald Trump.
Although Biden feels he can accentuate the positive in his record, the adviser says the message isn’t resonating with voters, and he should instead focus on a negative campaign centered on Trump.
The adviser said, “He wants the credit, but it’s not working,” one top Democrat, who recently shared these concerns with the campaign, said of Biden. “He needs to stop.”
Four advisers have recommended that Biden focus on Trump’s alleged close ties with corporations and his economic plan, which Biden claims is inflationary, during the presidential debate this Thursday.
Ron Klain, a longtime Biden adviser and former Chief of Staff, explained that Biden spends too much time talking about the bridges he built and not enough time connecting directly with voters and addressing their concerns.
Those around Biden are worried at his apparent complacency and frequent doubting of polls that show a dead heat or Trump ahead.
Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett, “We’ve already turned it around. The polling data has been wrong all along.”
Although the economy seems to have made some headway since the pandemic and avoided a recession, economic growth has exacerbated the problem of inflation and higher prices.
This means that even if the economy has seen an upturn, the average consumer isn’t feeling it, but is aware of paying higher prices.
According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll, 80% of respondents said the economy and inflation were the main determining factors in deciding who they would vote for in November, and according to one poll, Trump showed a 14-point lead over Biden in those areas.
A majority of 56% of those surveyed said they felt pessimistic about the economy, and four out of ten said they were falling behind financially.