Comparing the Trump and Biden Years
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To the Editor:
According to national polls, many believe that when he was president Donald Trump was better with economic policy than President Biden. What is forgotten is that Mr. Trump’s tenure was mostly before Covid.
The populace forgets that the pandemic resulted in multiple supply shortages and labor disruptions, which were major contributing causes of inflationary pressures. Republicans blame government spending but discount the disruptive effect of Covid.
President Biden’s policies have brought jobs, economic growth and a reduced inflation rate. Unfortunately he has not been able to offset all the residual economic effects of the Covid pandemic.
Gilbert J. Wise
New York
To the Editor:
To paraphrase what James Carville said many years ago, it’s still the economy, stupid. President Biden has been the most progressive and effective president of my lifetime, yet insecurity still haunts millions of people on his watch because of the high costs of housing, food and transportation.
Being one financial setback away from being homeless can make even a chaotic would-be strongman like Donald Trump seem like an acceptable alternative when he promises to fix everything immediately.
That the housing shortage and inflation have antecedents in the bursting of the housing bubble almost two decades ago and in the more recent Trump tariff- and pandemic-related supply chain disruptions matters little to those living on the edge and looking for a lifeline today.
