April 25th, 2023

by Ashley Oliver

House Republican Conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) responded to President Joe Biden announcing his reelection campaign Tuesday, declaring that the country needed former President Donald Trump “now more than ever.”

Stefanik, a member of GOP leadership, vowed that Americans would “not support another four years of Joe Biden’s disastrous policies crushing hardworking American families,” citing “crippling inflation, record illegal border crossings, and woke policies that seek to destroy our freedoms.”

The statement from the New York Republican and ardent Trump supporter comes after Biden, 80, launched his reelection campaign Tuesday morning.

The president used a three-minute video to promote his campaign during which he condemned “MAGA extremists” but failed to mention any specific accomplishments from his first term.

“Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,” Biden said. “That’s been the work of my first term: to fight for our democracy. This shouldn’t be a red or blue issue.”

Stefanik charged that “not only do the vast majority of Americans strongly disapprove of [Biden’s] presidency and policies, even over 50 percent of Democrats do not want him to run again.”

Biden indeed has been an unpopular president, maintaining an average disapproval rating of more than 50 percent for well over a year, according to FiveThirtyEight.

And while he has been successful in passing a package of multitrillion-dollar spending bills that have largely defined his presidency, Republicans, including Stefanik, have argued the exorbitant spending is driving an inflation crisis and weighing on working Americans whose income cannot often compensate for high costs of living.

Stefanik, a once moderate who began to shift postures during the impeachment trials against Trump, made headlines for endorsing the former president early on in the 2024 race, before he announced his candidacy.

She said, “Now more than ever, our country needs Donald J. Trump, and I will do everything in my power to help elect him in 2024 as President of the United States to save America.”

Read more from Breitbart here.