Former Biden White House chief of staff Ron Klain had sharp criticisms of President Joe Biden‘s focus on infrastructure — and bridges in particular.
Klain argued that Biden should focus on economics rather than infrastructure in his reelection bid while speaking at an event on Tuesday, according to audio obtained by Politico.
“I think the president is out there too much talking about bridges,” Klain said. “He does two or three events a week where he’s cutting a ribbon on a bridge. And here’s a bridge. Like I tell you, if you go into the grocery store, you go to the grocery store and, you know, eggs and milk are expensive, the fact that there’s a f***ing bridge is not [inaudible].”
“He’s not a congressman. He’s not running for Congress,” Klain said. “I think it’s kind of a fool’s errand. I think that [it] also doesn’t get covered that much because, look, it’s a f***ing bridge. Like it’s a bridge, and how interesting is the bridge? It’s a little interesting, but it’s not a lot interesting.”
Klain also said that focusing on Biden’s economic message and proposals rather than his achievements would fare better with voters.
The criticism from one of Biden’s biggest boosters and longtime allies zeroed in on one of the president’s favorite topics, but the timing appeared to conflict with the latest infrastructure crisis. Biden promised a huge effort to clean up and repair the damage to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after it collapsed when a tanker floated into one of its supports.
Biden visited the bridge last week and vowed federal support to rebuild it. He also pledged at least $60 million in federal funds to help pay for the repair effort.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the president is building on his State of the Union address last month and focusing on his economic policy, as well as other matters.
“Like Ron says, President Biden is crisscrossing the country building on his State of the Union message, highlighting that he is fighting to grow the middle class and lower costs like prescription drugs while blocking the trickle-down agenda Republican officials have proposed on behalf of rich special interests, including Medicare cuts and tax giveaways to big corporations,” Bates said. “The president repeated that message in his Univision interview yesterday and will not let up.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment.
Klain left the White House in February 2023 after being Biden’s chief of staff since his inauguration in 2021, but he has remained a champion of Biden’s agenda.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Last week, during an appearance on MSNBC, Klain said that “prices are still high” despite inflation cooling from earlier in the Biden presidency.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that inflation rose to 3.5% for the year ending in March, in a blow to the Federal Reserve and Biden.