President Joe Biden frequently uses Twitter to boast about his achievements while in office, especially in matters of the economy. But when he posted a similar claim on April 1, things took a turn for the worse, and detractors immediately dismissed it as an April Fools Day hoax.
Biden started his speech by asserting that the economy was in a disaster when he entered office, as he has done on numerous occasions. He omitted, however, that COVID limitations were to blame for many Americans’ unemployment as well as the closure of many small companies.
“The economy was in shambles when I became president. Millions of Americans had lost their employment as a result of the closure of hundreds of thousands of small companies,” Biden wrote. “In order to kickstart the greatest rebound of any major economy in the world, we quickly provided assistance to small companies.”
Biden’s tweet was sent on April 1st, and a number of detractors immediately seized on this coincidence to claim that it was a prank.
The American Ministry of Truth responded with a message that read, “I adore a good April Fool’s prank.”
The president’s Twitter account received praise from Doug Powers for sharing “the best April Fool joke” of the day.
Others merely called out the inaccuracies in Biden’s claims, noting the context that was lacking (namely, the forced lockdowns and closures brought on by COVID), and contended that the economy would have stabilized as things opened whether or not Biden had taken any action.
“Small companies were forced to shut down, and as a result, individuals lost their employment. The SBA’s minor assistance program, which it launched under your administration, was accused of discrimination and pledged funds were dishonorably withheld from the participants at the last minute. Other than that, excellent message,” tweeted Carol Roth.
“Gas was $2.39 per gallon and inflation was 1.4% when you assumed office. Gas is $3.50 per gallon today, and inflation is at 6%. Real earnings have decreased for a continuous 23 months. The list is endless,” Jake Schneider continued.