Biden says Trump privately praised parts of his economic record
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- Biden in a new interview said Trump was "very complimentary" of a portion of his economic record.
- The president made the statement while speaking with USA Today days before he's set to leave office.
- Trump's 2024 election victory was fueled by voter dissatisfaction over large parts of the economy.
In a newly-published interview with USA Today days before he's set to leave office, President Joe Biden said President-elect Donald Trump praised of a portion of his economic record during a private meeting.
"He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done," Biden said. "And he talked about — he thought I was leaving with a good record."
Biden in the interview didn't specify exactly what policies Trump praised, and the gesture could've simply been an element of the courtesies that presidents and president-elects generally extend to each other when discussing a White House transition.
The president during the interview also issued a warning for his predecessor and soon-to-be successor regarding tax policy and the economy overall.
"I think if he moves on the tax cuts of $5 trillion, I think if he moves on dealing with increasing tariffs across the board, all they are is increasing costs of consumers in America," Biden said. "And if he decides to do away with some of the major programs, whether it's dealing with the rescue plan or infrastructure or the climate law, I think he's just going to, you know, hurt himself, hurt the economy."
Throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump hammered President Biden over his economic record, repeatedly needling the commander-in-chief on issues like inflation and housing affordability.
When Biden stepped aside as the Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris became the party's standard-bearer, Trump pursued the same strategy, tying voter dissatisfaction with the economy to Biden's No. 2.
The president-elect in November was victorious in the major swing states — making significant gains with groups that had long backed Democrats — in large part because of his focus on the economy.
Trump during his first term pledged to get an infrastructure agenda in place and even sought to work with congressional Democrats on the issue.
However it was Biden — an ardent Amtrak fan — who oversaw passage of the gargantuan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law. The law is one of the biggest domestic accomplishments of Biden's presidency, and one that's poised to reshape his economic legacy years — and potentially decades — after he leaves office later this month.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung in a statement to Business Insider said Trump was elected to a second term to "continue the massively successful economic policies" of his first administration.
"Joe Biden's disastrous policies led to record inflation and an economy that left behind all Americans," Cheung said.