Throughout his entire time in office, Biden has tried to take indisputable facts about his failures and spin them into a fictitious success story. But what he doesn’t seem to realize is that the American people are not stupid, and they see right through his snake oil salesman pitch every time.

Let’s start with a topic at the forefront of the national debate: illegal immigration and our southern border. In total, there have been over 9 million known illegal border crossings since Biden took office, and in January 2024 alone, there were over 176,000 illegal border crossings – the worst January recorded in U.S. history. Now, in an attempt to save face and point the blame elsewhere, Biden is saying he needs Congress to pass an immigration bill that would give him the authority to secure our southern border. Here’s the thing: He already has that authority and could shut down the border right now if he wanted to, but he doesn’t.

Not only is he lying about his ability to secure our border and stop the massive waves of illegal immigrants, drugs, and human trafficking flowing through it, but he’s the one that caused it in the first place. During his first 100 days in office, Biden took over 90 executive actions to weaken America’s border security, including ending the Migrant Protection Protocols, or “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forced immigrants requesting asylum to wait in Mexico while their claims were being processed.

Make no mistake about it: Biden’s illogical and asinine policies are what led to the worst border crisis in U.S. history, and his refusal to use his existing authority to secure our border only continues to exacerbate the problem. Biden’s backwards thinking regarding illegal immigration is destroying communities across America and has made every state a border state. This madness must end now.

Biden and his administration have also done some Oscar-nominee-worthy spinning regarding our economy, doing splits six ways to Sunday to try to put a positive light on the financial pain Americans are feeling. In recent months, Biden and his administration have attempted to tout misleading metrics on our economy and inflation, but, once again, they don’t realize that the American people are not stupid. Citizens across the United States are still feeling immense stress due to Biden’s ludicrous economic policies and they aren’t fooled by this administration’s conjecture.

Under this administration, overall prices are up over 17%, and roughly $2 trillion in real wealth held by the middle class has been eliminated since March 2022. In 2023, almost 75% of working-class Americans reported cutting back on entertainment and eating out specifically due to inflation. On top of that, 51% of working-class Americans are working more hours. In response to the inflation that this administration is wholly responsible for, the Fed has hiked interest rates 11 times within the last two years alone leading to the highest interest rates we have seen in over 20 years.

This administration has repeatedly tried to sell us the lie that “Bidenomics” is a raging success. Well, according to the facts, this is what Bidenomics is: higher prices, higher inflation, and families having to work more hours just to make ends meet. It’s bad enough that Biden is entirely to blame for Americans’ worsening economic troubles over the past 3 years, but the cherry on top is his insistence on lying to the public about the reality that they’re facing.

Further, Biden has repeatedly shown us that he will bow down to climate extremists at the drop of a dime, regardless of the negative effects on energy costs or America’s energy industry. On day one of this administration, Biden launched his war on domestic energy production by killing the Keystone XL pipeline. Since then, Biden is responsible for depleting our Strategic Petroleum Reserve by over 40%, bringing it to its lowest levels since the early 1980s. And recently, Biden stopped the approval of liquified natural gas (LNG) exports, even further decimating the United States’ energy industry.

According to the American Petroleum Institute, increasing LNG exports could add as much as $73 billion to the U.S. economy and over 450,000 jobs. Ending this pause and other restrictions on LNG would allow the U.S. to export more, encourage domestic energy production, and reduce our energy supply vulnerabilities. Since Biden took office, his administration has taken numerous actions deliberately designed to stifle domestic energy production, yet, he continues to point the finger elsewhere when energy and crude oil prices skyrocket.

Biden could not have a more abysmal record when it comes to incentivizing domestic energy producers and has severely increased our energy market volatility. This doesn’t just bring more pain at the gas pump, but plummeting energy independence is a major threat to our national security as well. I’ve said all along that the United States needs to be energy dominant again, but Biden has done everything in his power to appease the woke mob and ensure it doesn’t happen.

Joe Biden has made it abundantly clear that he couldn’t care less about what real America is going through or how bad Americans’ wallets are hurting. This administration has made life worse for U.S. citizens at every turn, and during his State of the Union speech, I have no doubt that he will ignore all of the facts and do the same song and dance he’s been doing for over three years now. But the American people see through it. No matter which way you slice it, Biden’s policies are hurting our families, our wallets, and the future of the nation we love.

Sen. Eric Schmitt represents the state of Missouri in the U.S. Senate. 

Sound off about Senator Schmitt’s story on The Liberty Daily Substack.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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Why, then, do Democrats continue to claim Republicans are going after the two massive entitlement expenditures? At Tuesday night’s State of the Union speech, Joe Biden continued to gaslight over the issue. Thankfully, some Republicans pushed back. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene went so far as to scream out “liar” when Biden brought it up.

"Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I'm not saying it's the majority," Biden says.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Biden a "liar!" pic.twitter.com/zMO3M2IiBz

— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) February 8, 2023

Biden at least acknowledged that it’s not “most” Republicans. He said he had the receipts in the form of a proposal that was sent to him, likely by a handful of Republican lawmakers who rightly pointed out that Medicare and Social Security are unsustainable if reforms are not made immediately. But it’s toxic… and that’s the point.

Why do even lucid and otherwise fiscally responsible Republicans shy away from the important issue? It’s because Democrats desperately NEED them to fail. They NEED the burden of entitlements to cripple American taxpayers and lead this nation towards the inevitable forced adoption of Modern Monetary Theory.

There are only two possible ways to continue Medicare and Social Security. Either we make massive cuts across the board or we print money to cover the expenses. That’s it. The former will be unpopular among lawmakers who know cuts are the easiest way for them to lose elections. The latter would be pure devastation that prompts a complete economic collapse as more nations abandon the U.S. Dollar as the world reserve currency.

I talked about all of this on today’s episode of The JD Rucker Show. I referenced this article below by Mary Margaret Olohan from Daily Signal.

Republicans Erupt, Call Biden ‘LIAR’ Over Medicare Claims

House Republicans booed President Joe Biden on Tuesday evening over the president’s claim that the GOP wants to cut Medicare and Social Security.

“Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years,” Biden said. “That means if Congress doesn’t vote to keep them, those programs will go away.”

“Other Republicans say if we don’t cut Social Security and Medicare, they’ll let America default on its debt for the first time in our history,” he added. “I won’t let that happen.”

His remarks elicited a strong reaction from the assembled lawmakers—many of whom can be heard loudly booing.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who had leapt to her feet, can be seen giving the president a thumbs-down.

“Liar,” she yelled.

The House Republicans’ Twitter account similarly denounced Biden’s claim, noting that Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said that “cuts to Medicare and Social Security, they are off the table.”

“Joe Biden is LIAR,” the House Republicans account said on Tuesday evening. And the Republican National Committee’s Twitter account reminded users that “a decade ago, Biden repeatedly stressed the importance of NEGOTIATING the debt limit.”

And former President Donald Trump similarly slammed Biden in a Truth Social post, saying, “He’s lying so much about Social Security, Medicare, and so many other things!”

Joe Biden is LIAR. #SOTU

"Cuts to Medicare and Social Security they are off the table." – @SpeakerMcCarthy pic.twitter.com/DamVCUFkz7

— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) February 8, 2023

“Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors,” Biden continued. “Americans have been paying into them with every single paycheck since they started working. So tonight, let’s all agree to stand up for seniors. Stand up and show them we will not cut Social Security. We will not cut Medicare.”

“Those benefits belong to the American people,” Biden said. “They earned them. If anyone tries to cut Social Security, I will stop them. And if anyone tries to cut Medicare, I will stop them. I will not allow them to be taken away. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.”

Alternative Video Sources:

Hate of the Union: The REAL Reason Biden and Democrats Continue Gaslighting About Medicare and Social Security https://t.co/PD8gwYkQxV

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) February 8, 2023

They can claim they haven’t. They would be lying if they did. Every aspect of their border policy encourages illegal aliens to cross. Everything they’ve done to remove border security has worsened the flow of drugs and other illegal merchandise. They have harmed this nation immeasurably, all the while putting innocent children in danger as they’re raped and trafficked throughout their journey to the border.

Knowing all this, here’s how Biden framed the border situation during his Tuesday night State of the Union speech:

WATCH: Republicans yell 'Border,' and 'It's your fault,' when Biden mentions fentanyl crisis. pic.twitter.com/0G3WCYe1o3

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 8, 2023

Republicans were right to object to his feckless statements. They needed those who were watching the SOTU, which was far fewer than one might expect, to hear their objections to his gaslighting attempt. For Biden or anyone in his administration to even mention the border without begging for forgiveness is beyond disingenuous. It’s a statement of contempt towards Americans.

For anyone to hear anything about the border, whether it’s about the massive influx of illegal aliens or the child-killing fentanyl flooding across, and not blame the Biden-Harris regime completely is to declare their stupidity. Only the indoctrinated partisans or legitimately unintelligent people could see what’s happening and not come to the undeniable conclusion that this is Biden’s fault.

On today’s episode of The JD Rucker Show, I talked about the border portion of the State of the Union speech, including discussion of this article by Virginia Allen at Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/02/07/fact-check-biden-touts-southern-border-success-during-state-of-union/

FACT CHECK: Biden Touts Success at Southern Border During State of Union Speech

President Joe Biden touted his policies at the southern border Tuesday night during his second State of the Union address.

“We now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border, arresting 8,000 human smugglers and seizing over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl in just the last several months,” Biden said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that it seized just over 14,000 pounds of fentanyl in fiscal year 2022, which ended Sept. 30, and more than 7,000 pounds between October and the end of December.

In February, CBP reported a large drug seizure in the San Diego sector, including “blue pills” that contained “fentanyl with a total weight of 250 pounds with an estimated street value of $3,412,000.”

Under President Donald Trump in fiscal year 2018, Customs and Border Protection reported seizing 2,135 pounds of fentanyl. And in 2020, it seized nearly 5,000 pounds of the lethal drug.

“Most illicit fentanyl today is manufactured in Mexico and brought across our southern border,” Lora Ries, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, and Virginia Krieger,
president of Lost Voices of Fentanyl, recently wrote. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.)

“But the Biden administration and the Left remain fully committed to their open border policies—even though opioids, largely fentanyl, are now the No. 1 killer of Americans aged 18-45 years old,” Krieger and Ries wrote.

The increase in the amount of fentanyl flooding into America is accompanied by a record number of illegal migrants crossing the southern border. Fiscal year 2022 saw 2.76 million illegal immigrant border crossings.

Biden drew groans and jeers from some Republican lawmakers Tuesday night when he said at another point: “America’s border problems won’t be fixed until Congress acts. If you won’t pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border.”

Ron Vitiello, former director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told The Daily Signal on Monday that agents are overwhelmed by the border crisis. Vitiello said there is a mental health crisis among Border Patrol agents because of the stress and frustration caused by the Biden administration’s “self-inflicted crisis” at the southern border.

Former Acting ICE Director Ron Vitiello says there is a mental health crisis among the border patrol because of the stress and frustration caused by the Biden administration's "self-inflicted crisis" at the southern border. pic.twitter.com/sTHQRZkZVx

— Virginia Allen (@Virginia_Allen5) February 6, 2023

In response to the border crisis, Biden outlined a plan in January to limit the number of illegal immigrants crossing into America. The plan aims at limiting unlawful migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela to 30,000 per month.

“Since we launched our new border plan last month, unlawful migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela has come down 97%,” Biden said during his speech Tuesday night.

With a record number of encounters at the border and fentanyl flowing across, Tom Homan, former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation, said in a recent statement:

Congress needs to hold Joe Biden, [Homeland Secretary] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas, and everyone else responsible for this travesty accountable for what they’ve done to this nation.

This administration’s policies are dangerous and inhumane, and the new majority in Congress better get serious about doing something to stop them. We are quickly running out of time to fix this—act now, show some spine, or demonstrate that you care about border security to the same extent the Left does.

Alternative Video Sources:

The Most Infuriating Part of Benedict Biden's SOTU Speech Relies on Americans Being Stupid https://t.co/crg1ySS3LV

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) February 8, 2023