Senator John Fetterman has dismissed Americans concerned about rising prices such as $16 McDonald's meals and said President Joe Biden is "very effective."
In an interview with Politico posted on Wednesday, the Democrat said the 2024 presidential election is a fight between "good and evil" and that voters should focus less on issues like inflation and more on who they want to see in the Oval Office.
However, recent polling suggests inflation is the top priority for most Americans and that the issue could sway the election result.
Fetterman was asked in the interview: "When I talk to voters, they're worried about inflation. They really don't like the economy. Are you not hearing that?"
The Senator diverted away from inflation and instead started his response with a jab at former President Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner who is likely to have a re-match with Biden in 2024.
"To me, it's going to come down to good and evil and personalities and everything about this, too. It's going to be a gut check kind of a situation where it's just like, really?" Fetterman said. "Really, really, as you're going into the voting booth, do we want chaos and somebody that is in three or four criminal hearings? Is this somebody that you want to be their finger back on the button?"
Trump is facing 91 criminal charges in four cases against him, all of which he pleaded not guilty to and called politically motivated.
Fetterman continued: "Or do you want to have a decent and very effective president that has gotten us through the pandemic, addressed inflation and has been a real masterclass of diplomacy with Israel?"
The Senator then dismissed concerns about how inflation is affecting the average American.
"And that's the thing. And if you want to be more pissed off about a $16 McDonald's extra meal, I don't know," he said.
Newsweek reached out to Fetterman's office via phone and email for comment.
A recent The Economist/YouGov poll found that an overwhelming majority of Americans are concerned about inflation.
A total of 94 percent of Americans think inflation is important and 73 percent think it is very important. Inflation ranked highest among Americans when asked which issue was most important to them (21 percent).
Meanwhile, 57 percent of Americans disapprove of the way President Biden is handling inflation and just 34 percent approve.
The poll was conducted from December 16 to December 18 and surveyed 1,500 adult U.S. citizens, 1,336 of which are registered voters. The poll had a margin of error of 3.5 percent (adjusted for weighting) and 3.2 percent (registered voters).
Fetterman recently made headlines over his position on the Israel-Hamas conflict and the U.S.-Mexico border. He has been a vocal supporter of Israel in its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas and said in a recent NBC interview that the U.S. has to "effectively address" immigration. The Pennsylvania Democrat has pulled away from the left wing of the party, telling NBC: "I'm not a progressive."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
