By Gizem Nisa Cebi
ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Joe Biden on Tuesday touted his economic achievements, but also gave a nod to president-elect Donald Trump’s decision to place his name on COVID stimulus checks, which reportedly led people to give him credit for the congressionally mandated funds.
In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Biden said that he was "stupid” not to do what Trump did when he served as president before Biden, in 2017-2021.
"I signed the American Rescue Plan, the most significant economic recovery package in our history. I also learned something from Donald Trump. He signed checks for people," Biden said, before adding, "And I didn’t – stupid."
The Trump administration issued $1,200 and $600 stimulus payments in 2020 with his signature, while Biden’s $1,400 checks in 2021 did not feature his name, to avoid delays. Trump, in contrast, reportedly insisted that his name by prominently featured on the checks.
The money for the checks was passed largely with support from congressional Democrats, with most members of Congress from Trump’s Republicans rejecting the measure.
Biden’s remark was later clarified by Jared Bernstein, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, who said Biden was joking and emphasized that the checks helped Americans through the COVID economic crisis.
Despite Biden's efforts, polling shows that more Americans credit Trump with stronger economic leadership, with many voters appreciating the checks issued during his presidency.
Biden also warned against returning to Republican-supported "trickle-down economics" as Trump prepares to take office – in which making the rich richer is supposed to “trickle down” to the middle and lower classes – claiming he’s leaving behind "the strongest economy in modern history."
Biden’s four-year term ends on Jan. 20, when Trump is sworn in for his second term as president.