U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on lowering costs for American families during a visit to Goffstown, New Hampshire, on March 11, 2024.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters President Joe Biden took a victory lap after Target announced it was lowering prices on groceries and other items — and hopes voters will give him the credit. "President Biden called on grocery chains making record profits to lower prices for consumers – and they're answering the call," the White House wrote in a social media post on Monday evening in response to a headline about Target's price cuts. Earlier on Monday, Target announced it would lower prices on roughly 5,000 items, including food items like bread, fruit, vegetables, milk and meat.
The company said cuts on 1,500 items had already taken effect and thousands more would come over the summer. It is timely news for Biden who has spent the past several years mounting a corporate pressure campaign across various government agencies. And with the November election less than six months away, Biden now wants voter recognition for that corporate battle, especially as he tries to sell a tough economic pitch that his policies have helped consumers as they still feel some high costs of living.
Early national polls showed that voters blamed Biden for lingering budget constraints post-pandemic. In turn, the president punted the responsibility onto large corporations, accusing them of keeping prices artificially high even as their production costs were comi.
