Biden Says Americans Are Looking More Favorably at His Economy

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Former President Joe Biden says Americans increasingly believe the economy performed better during his administration than under President Donald Trump, but polling and economic statistics present a more complicated comparison.

Former President Joe Biden reignited debate over the U.S. economy in a June speech, arguing that Americans increasingly believe economic conditions were better during his administration than under President Donald Trump.

Biden made the remark on June 27, 2026, at the Maryland Democratic Party’s Fight Back & Win Gala in Hanover, where he delivered the keynote address to party officials and activists.

During the speech, Biden asked, “Have you noticed Americans today are saying the economy under the Biden administration was a hell of a lot better than under Trump?”

The quote is authentic, not fabricated, and multiple reports from the event recorded Biden making essentially the same comparison while defending his economic record and criticizing Trump.

A March Harvard CAPS/Harris poll offered partial support for Biden’s framing: 53% of 2,009 registered voters said the economy was worse than when Biden was president, while 47% said better.

That survey showed a large partisan divide: 75% of Democrats, 60% of independents and 27% of Republicans said the economy was worse than it had been under Biden.

A July Pew Research Center survey found 60% of adults believed Trump’s economic policies had worsened economic conditions, while 20% said they improved them and 19% saw little effect.

Yet Pew also found only 24% rated current economic conditions good or excellent, a level close to the 25% recorded in September 2024, during Biden’s presidency.

Inflation gives a mixed picture. Consumer prices were 3.4% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, compared with 2.9% annual inflation in December 2024 near Biden’s departure.

However, Biden’s term also included the 2022 inflation surge: the CPI reached 9.1% in June 2022, the largest 12-month increase recorded since November 1981, according to BLS.

Economic growth was solid in Biden’s final full year, with real GDP increasing 2.8% in 2024. In the second quarter of 2026, GDP grew at a 1.5% annualized rate.

The labor market remains relatively strong by headline measures. Employers added 162,000 jobs in August 2026, while the unemployment rate held at 4.1%, according to BLS.

At the end of Biden’s presidency, December 2024 payrolls rose by 256,000 and unemployment was also 4.1%, though one-month comparisons can obscure longer-term labor trends.

FactCheck.org calculated that about 2.4 million jobs were added during Biden’s final 18 months, versus 765,000 during a comparable period beginning in February 2025 under Trump.

Price levels remain central to the debate because slower inflation does not mean earlier price increases disappear. Associated Press reported grocery prices were about 33% higher than in early 2019.

The Trump administration offers a different assessment, arguing its tax policies, deregulation, manufacturing investment and trade agenda are strengthening growth, hiring and household finances across the country.

Independent fact-checkers have challenged some White House affordability claims, noting that while selected prices fell, broader consumer prices and many grocery and energy costs continued rising.

Biden’s June remarks were delivered at a partisan fundraising event organized to mobilize Maryland Democrats ahead of the November midterms, so the speech combined economic claims with campaign-style messaging.

The viral graphic therefore captures a real Biden statement, but the phrase “Americans today are saying” is broader than any single survey can establish for the entire public.

Polling does show substantial dissatisfaction with the current economy, while official data show both strengths and weaknesses across inflation, jobs and growth, making Biden’s comparison a political argument rather than a settled economic fact.