President Joe Biden has been hit with criticism after a photo of him at a Cook Out appeared to lay bare the impact of inflation over the last four years.
The Democrat visited the battleground state of North Carolina on Thursday, where he spoke at Abbotts Creek Community Center in Raleigh to drum up support for his economic policies. Among these, Biden announced investment in high-speed internet for rural communities in the state.
Inflation continues to hammer away at people’s wallets. A widely seen January report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics said that consumer prices rose 3.4 percent in December, compared to a year ago, up from 3.1 percent in the previous month.
Food inflation rose 0.2 percent in December, and menu prices at restaurants and cafes increased faster than prices on store shelves. While inflation is below last summer’s peak of over 9 percent, it is more than a percentage point higher than the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2 percent.
After his Raleigh speech, the president visited a branch of the fast-food chain Cook Out, where he was photographed by onlookers.
Photo by Eros Hoagland/Getty Images
One photo showed Biden in front of a menu, which listed the price of a Cook Out tray as $7.69. The menu says that a tray includes a main meal with two sides and a drink. Critics have said the photo shows the rate of inflation. Newsweek has contacted a Biden representative by email and Cook Out by website form to comment on this story.
North Carolina Senator Phil Berger posted an image of Biden visiting the fast-food restaurant when the same meal was cheaper. On 18 October, 2020, Biden went to Durham, North Carolina, ahead of the 2020 presidential election. The cost of a Cook Out tray then was $5.99, according to the photo of Biden in front of a similar menu.
Berger, a Republican, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Thanks to #Bidenomics, a Cook Out tray costs 28% more than it did when Biden had his previous photo op.”
Screenwriter and actress Colette Harrington wrote: “Haha. Biden is in North Carolina promoting #Bidenomics. He stopped at Cook Out. Same restaurant he visited while campaigning four years ago. The press is reporting he ordered a black and white milkshake but neglected to mention the menu prices went up 28%.”
Haha. Biden is in North Carolina promoting #Bidenomics. He stopped at Cook Out. Same restaurant he visited while campaigning four years ago. The press is reporting he ordered a black and white milkshake but neglected to mention the menu prices went up 28% https://t.co/MNM7olETQg
— Colette Harrington (@sweetcarolinatv) January 18, 2024
During his speech, Biden said: “Look, our goal is to connect everyone in America to affordable, reliable high-speed internet by the year 2030, everyone in America, just like Franklin Roosevelt did a generation ago with electricity.
“I promised to be president for all America, whether you voted for me or not. These investments help all Americans in red states and blue states as well. We’re not leaving anybody behind,” Biden added.
Meanwhile, White House Deputy Press Secretary and Senior Communications Adviser Andrew Bates confirmed on X that Biden ordered a bacon cheeseburger, french fries, and a ‘Black & White’ milkshake at the Cook Out.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.