Biden defends economic recovery: ‘We’re moving in the right direction’

In remarks at the White House on Monday, President Biden touted the American Rescue Plan and defended his policies since taking office, saying “Our economic plan is working.”

Video transcript

JOE BIDEN: In the three months before I got here, our country was creating roughly 60,000 jobs a month. In the three months since we've gotten here, we've been creating 500-- on average, 500,000 jobs per month. In the first quarter, our economy grew at 6.4% rate, outpacing the growth we're seeing from our friends in the eurozone.

Because of the American Rescue Plan, forecasters are projecting we'll see the fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years in the months to come. We're moving in the right direction. So let's be clear-- our economic plan is working. I never said, and no serious analyst ever suggested, that climbing out of the deep, deep hole our economy was in would be simple, easy, immediate, or perfectly steady.

Remember, 22 million Americans lost their jobs in this pandemic. So some months will exceed expectations, others will fall short. The question is, what is the trend line? Are we headed in the right direction? Are we taking the right steps to keep it going? And the answer, clearly, is, yes.