White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates heaped praise on President Biden’s record, touting the remaining agenda items he plans to complete over the rest of his term, he told The Post in a statement Sunday.
“President Biden inherited an economy in freefall, a skyrocketing violent crime rate, and alliances in tatters from his predecessor. He turned that around to deliver the strongest economic growth in the world and the lowest violent crime rate in nearly 50 years, while making NATO bigger than ever,” the spokesman said in the immediate aftermath of Biden’s announcement.
“He looks forward to finishing his term and delivering more historic results for the American people. That includes continuing to lower costs, create jobs, and protect Social Security while standing against the MAGAnomics agenda that would worsen inflation and drive us into recession. And he’ll keep fighting to protect Americans’ freedoms from radical abortion bans and attacks on the rule of law.”
The statement is an abrupt about-face from what he told NBC News on Friday when he shut down speculation that Biden would be withdrawing, saying, “That is not happening, period,” and claiming “the individuals making those claims are not speaking for his family or his team — and they will be proven wrong. Keep the faith.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.