Biden’s Familiar Talking Points in Final Remarks

In his farewell address to the nation and in other recent remarks, President Joe Biden has repeated claims that are misleading or need additional context. Biden said, “We’ve created nearly 17 million new jobs, more than any other single administration in a single term.” But no president’s administration is responsible for all jobs gained or lost. Furthermore, on a percentage basis, job growth was higher during President Jimmy Carter’s four-year presidency and during President Lyndon Johnson’s one full term. He boasted about “bringing violent crime to a 50-year low,” a statistic that’s correct or nearly so, according to FBI data. But the violent crime rate has been relatively stable for a decade, and presidents have little to do with noticeable changes in crime. Biden misleadingly claimed that billionaires “paid an average of 8.2% in federal taxes.” That figure is a White House calculation that includes earnings on unsold assets and stock as income. The president stretched the facts when touting “Buy America” laws and claiming that “past administrations … failed to buy American.” He has expanded such requirements on federal spending, but we found no indication that his predecessors had violated the laws during their tenures. Job Growth Biden began...