Biden Claims “More Substantive Experience Than Any President Ever,” Says Harris Is “Smart as Hell,” Admits Intention to Run Again, and Pelosi Says Democrats Need to “Change That Subject” on Inflation

On 10/23/2022, President Biden sat for an MSNBC interview with Jonathan Capehart that produced multiple headline-generating moments. Biden claimed “I have more substantive experience on the issues facing the country, both in foreign policy and domestic policy, than any president ever.” He praised VP Harris as having “a backbone like a ramrod” and being “smart as hell.” He revealed his intention to run for reelection. And most strikingly, Pelosi said in a separate appearance that when people “talk about inflation, we have to change that subject” — openly admitting the Democratic strategy was to avoid discussing the economy entirely. Biden also dismissed the idea that his $1.9 trillion stimulus contributed to inflation, saying “absolutely not” and arguing the spending “was necessary for people to survive."

"More Experience Than Any President Ever”

Biden prefaced the claim with a self-aware disclaimer that made the boast more remarkable, not less. “I’m going to say something I should probably consider not saying. I’ll say it,” Biden began. “I have more substantive experience on the issues facing the country, both in foreign policy and domestic policy, than any president ever.”

The claim placed Biden above every president in American history — above Eisenhower, who led the Allied forces to victory in World War II; above Thomas Jefferson, who doubled the nation’s size; above Lincoln, who preserved the Union; above FDR, who navigated the Great Depression and World War II; above Nixon, who opened China. Each of these presidents had demonstrably more consequential policy experience and accomplishment than Biden’s career as a senator and one-term vice president.

Biden’s claim was based on longevity — 36 years in the Senate plus 8 years as VP — rather than on the quality or impact of his experience. Length of service is not the same as depth of experience, and Biden’s Senate record, while long, was not typically ranked among the most consequential in the body’s history.

Harris: “Backbone Like a Ramrod”

When asked how VP Harris was performing, Biden delivered a fulsome endorsement. “She’s doing great. First of all, she’s smart as hell. She has a backbone like a ramrod and she has enormous integrity,” Biden said.

He then attempted to contextualize Harris’s poor approval ratings. “But if you take a look out there, there isn’t any public figure that is, you know, 60% favorable ratings,” Biden said — a misleading claim given that multiple public figures maintained favorable ratings above 60% in various polls.

“She is doing a great job and she is really, really thoroughly informed, particularly on areas of foreign policy and national security issues,” Biden continued. “I find her to be extremely, extremely well qualified and a great asset. We have lunch once a week and there’s nothing that she is cut off from.”

The effusive praise contrasted with widespread reporting of dysfunction in the VP’s office, high staff turnover, and Harris’s own struggle to define a substantive portfolio. Her assignment as immigration “point person” had produced no visible results, and her public appearances — particularly her “word salad” answers to policy questions — had become a source of both Republican attacks and Democratic anxiety.

”My Intention to Run Again”

Biden revealed his 2024 plans. “I have not made that formal decision, but it’s my intention, my intention to run again,” Biden said. “And we have time to make that decision. Dr. Biden thinks that my wife thinks that we’re doing something very important.”

The admission was notable for its timing — two weeks before midterms, when the focus should have been on Democratic congressional candidates rather than Biden’s own political future. The 2024 question was one many Democratic strategists wanted deferred, given Biden’s low approval ratings and widespread voter concern about his age and fitness.

”We Have to Change That Subject”

The most revealing statement came from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking separately about inflation messaging. “When I hear people talk about inflation, we have to change that subject,” Pelosi said.

The admission was extraordinary in its candor. The most senior Democratic leader in Congress was openly stating that the party’s strategy on its greatest political vulnerability was to avoid discussing it. Not to address it, not to explain it, not to propose solutions — to change the subject.

The strategy made political sense — Democrats couldn’t win the inflation debate on substance because they controlled the White House and Congress while inflation raged at 40-year highs. But saying “change that subject” out loud turned an internal tactical calculation into a public admission that Democrats had no answer for the economic pain voters were experiencing.

”Absolutely Not” — No Regrets on Stimulus

When asked whether sending “$1,400 checks, putting cash out there” contributed to inflation, Biden was emphatic. “No, absolutely not, because that was necessary for people to survive,” Biden said.

The interviewer pressed: “Those — was that it was inflationary?”

“The point is, when you reduce unemployment, it’s inflationary. That is a fact,” Biden responded — an unusual admission that his own policies were inflationary by design. Biden was acknowledging the textbook economic relationship between employment and inflation while simultaneously denying that his spending caused inflation. The logical chain — stimulus reduces unemployment, reduced unemployment is inflationary, therefore stimulus is inflationary — was one Biden appeared to accept in theory but reject in application to his own policies.

”Republicans Have Unlimited Money”

Biden dismissed polling showing voters trusted Republicans more on the economy. “I don’t subscribe to what you said that they don’t trust us,” Biden said. “In the last few weeks, the Republicans, recognizing now that they have a problem in this election — and you all have been telling them they’re going to win for like a year and a half — but they’re seeing what’s happening on the ground.”

“So they have placed unlimited money, unlimited money into these races with unlimited fact, and it’s misrepresenting what the reality is,” Biden said — apparently meaning “unlimited” misinformation rather than “unlimited fact."

"Inflation Is a Global Phenomenon”

Biden deployed the comparative inflation defense. “Our inflation rate is much too high. It is 8%. It is 10% in the UK, 10% throughout Europe, 7% in Canada,” Biden said. “And a significant part of inflation has to do with corporate greed.”

The comparison to European rates omitted key context: the U.S. had injected far more fiscal stimulus per capita than most European nations, and U.S. inflation had peaked higher than many peer economies. The “corporate greed” explanation was the administration’s political narrative, not the conclusion of its own FTC investigation, which found no evidence of price gouging.

Key Takeaways

• Biden claimed “more substantive experience than any president ever” — placing himself above Washington, Lincoln, Eisenhower, and FDR in policy experience.
• He praised Harris as “smart as hell” with “a backbone like a ramrod” despite her poor approval ratings and high staff turnover.
• Biden revealed his intention to run for reelection in 2024, two weeks before midterms.
• Pelosi openly admitted Democrats needed to “change that subject” when people discuss inflation — acknowledging the party had no answer for its greatest vulnerability.
• Biden said “absolutely not” when asked if the $1.9T stimulus contributed to inflation, then acknowledged “when you reduce unemployment, it’s inflationary.”

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

• I’m going to say something I should probably consider not saying. I have more substantive experience on foreign policy and domestic policy than any president ever.
• She’s smart as hell. She has a backbone like a ramrod and she has enormous integrity.
• It’s my intention, my intention to run again. Dr. Biden thinks we’re doing something very important.
• When I hear people talk about inflation, we have to change that subject.
• Did sending those $1,400 checks contribute to inflation? No, absolutely not. That was necessary for people to survive.
• When you reduce unemployment, it’s inflationary. That is a fact.

Full transcript: 648 words transcribed via Whisper AI.