(TheConservativeNews.org) – Joe Biden got testy with NBC host Lester Holt when he asked him about the inflation report that came out this week.
During a sit-down interview on Thursday’s “NBC Nightly News,” Holt cited a report from the Department of Labor, which showed that inflation — which has been steadily rising for months — hit a new 40-year high in January.
After noting an inflation increase of 7.5% from January 2021 to 2022, Holt asked Biden why his administration is claiming that inflation is “temporary” and “transitory.”
“Back in July, you said inflation was going to be temporary. I think a lot of Americans are wondering what your definition of temporary is,” Holt asked.
In July, Biden said that “no serious economist” believed “unchecked inflation” was “on the way.” He added, “Our experts believe … the price increases we’ve seen are … expected to be temporary.”
Biden clearly didn’t like Holt’s question.
“Well, you’re being a wise guy with me a little bit, and I understand that’s your job,” Biden said before proceeding to blame inflation on the supply chain crisis.
U.S. consumer prices jumped by the most since 1982, marking the biggest gain in nearly 40 years.
“The consumer price index rose 7.5% in January from a year ago, according to a new Labor Department report released Thursday, marking the fastest increase since February 1982, when inflation hit 7.6%. The CPI – which measures a bevy of goods ranging from gasoline and health care to groceries and rents – jumped 0.6% in the one-month period from December,” CNBC reported.
“So-called core prices, which exclude more volatile measurements of food and energy, climbed 6% in January from the previous year – a sharp increase from December, when it rose 5.5%. It was the steepest 12-month increase since August 1982,” the report added.
The report added:
Price increases were widespread: Although energy prices rose just 0.9% in January from the previous month, they’re still up 27% from last year. Gasoline, on average, costs 40% than it did last year. Food prices have also climbed 7% higher over the year, while used car and truck prices – a major component of the inflation increase – are up 40.5%. Shelter costs jumped 0.3% for the month and 4% year-over-year.
The inflation spike has been bad news for President Biden, who has seen his approval rating tumble as consumer prices rise. The White House has blamed the price spike on supply-chain bottlenecks and other pandemic-induced disruptions in the economy, while Republicans have pinned it on the president’s massive spending agenda and his energy policies targeting the oil and gas industries.
Earlier this week, a group of Republican lawmakers called for Biden to take a cognitive test because they believe his “mental decline” has “become more apparent” and could be impeding his judgment.
Nearly 40 GOP congressional members want Biden to follow the precedent set by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, as recent polling increasingly shows more Americans are not certain of Biden’s mental fitness for the demanding job of president.
Led by former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, 37 other Republican colleagues signed a letter to Biden on Tuesday in which they said they had “concern” about his “current cognitive state.”
“My colleagues and I are again asking President Biden to immediately undergo a formal cognitive screening exam, such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA),” Jackson said.
“As a former physician to three Presidents of the United States, I know what it takes mentally and physically to execute the duties of Commander-in-Chief and Head of State,” Jackson added. “Joe Biden has continually proven to me and to the world that something isn’t right. The American people deserve to have absolute confidence in their President’s cognitive ability.”
“This is not a partisan issue. When I discussed taking a cognitive test with President Trump, he was eager to assure the American people and to put the fake news media’s stories to bed,” Jackson wrote. “Why won’t President Biden do the same?”
