President Joe Biden made a rare appearance at the White House press briefing on Friday, highlighting the strength of the economy after the release of a strong jobs report from the Labor Department. This was Biden’s first press briefing appearance of his presidency.
- Strong Jobs Report: Biden praised the positive jobs numbers, saying, “The past two days, we’ve gotten some very good news about the American economy.” The report showed significant job growth, reinforcing the administration’s economic outlook.
- Criticism of GOP Response: Biden took aim at Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), who had called the jobs report “fake” on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “Anything the MAGA Republicans don’t like, they call fake. The job numbers are what they are. They’re real.”
- Election Concerns: Biden also addressed upcoming election concerns, expressing confidence in a “free and fair” process in November, but cautioned that he couldn’t guarantee “whether it will be peaceful.” He referenced Trump’s dangerous rhetoric regarding past election outcomes.
The president’s appearance follows a period of decreased public visibility. Reports indicated that Biden had not scheduled public events on 43 of the 75 days since he suspended his re-election bid in July. Even before that, Biden held fewer press conferences than his predecessors, raising questions about his public engagement.
Despite stepping back from the campaign trail, Biden is reasserting himself in moments that matter, particularly when it comes to the economy, which remains a central issue for voters.
