This week, President Joe Biden was diagnosed with, and recovered from, COVID-19 shortly after his trip to Saudi Arabia. Former President Donald Trump returned to Washington, D.C., for the first time since his presidency to give a speech at an event for the America First Policy Institute. Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence gave a dueling speech at a Young America’s Foundation event on the same day. Finally, the United States entered recession territory despite the best efforts of the Biden administration to redefine the term.
Here are the quotes of the week.
“When my predecessor got COVID, he had to get helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center. He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered. When I got COVID, I worked from upstairs in the White House.”
– President Joe Biden takes a jab at his predecessor Donald Trump in an address to the media after recovering from COVID-19.
“Our armed forces are completely prepared to respond to any crisis, and our country’s nuclear war deterrent is also ready to mobilize its absolute power dutifully, exactly, and swiftly in accordance with its mission.”
– North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sends a stark warning to America and its allies in a speech on Thursday as his country is expected to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
“We’re not going to be in a recession, in my view. The unemployment rate is still one of the lowest we’ve had in history. It’s in the 3.6 area. We still find ourselves with people investing. My hope is we go from this rapid growth to a steady growth, and so we’ll see some coming down, but I don’t think we’re going to, God willing. I don’t think we’re going to see a recession.”
– Biden insists that the economy would continue to be strong just days before the economy officially entered a recession.
“Never in the history of our country have we had a recession where the economy was creating jobs, period, let alone creating 400,000 jobs. Certainly, in terms of the technical definition, it’s not a recession. The technical definition considers a much broader spectrum of data points. But in practical terms, what matters to American people is whether they have a little economic breathing room, they have more job opportunities, their wages are going up — that has been Joe Biden’s focus since coming into office.”
– National Economic Council Director Brian Deese attempts to redefine “recession” ahead of an economic growth report.
“Tax fairness is vital to our nation’s economic future. It is wrong that some of America’s largest companies pay nothing in taxes while freely enjoying the benefits of our nation’s military security, infrastructure, and rule of law. It is common sense that a domestic corporate minimum tax of 15% be applied only to billion-dollar companies or larger, ensuring that America’s largest businesses are no longer able to operate for free in our economy.”
– Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) defends his plan to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which would see a 15% minimum corporate tax implemented.
“Democrats say all these historic tax hikes are their answer to the inflation they themselves caused. Our colleagues across the aisle have already completely lost Americans’ trust on the economy before this reckless taxing and spending spree. Apparently, they want to see how much farther they can fall.”
– Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is surprised by Manchin’s choice to join his caucus on the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The CHIPS and Science Act is exactly what we need to be doing to grow our economy right now. By making more semiconductors in the United States, this bill will increase domestic manufacturing and lower costs for families. And, it will strengthen our national security by making us less dependent on foreign sources of semiconductors.”
– Biden praises the recent spending bill focused on increasing domestic production of semiconductors amid rising antagonism with China.
“I had the honor this term of writing, I think, the only Supreme Court decision in the history of that institution that has been lambasted by a whole string of foreign leaders who felt perfectly fine commenting on American law.”
– Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito takes jabs at foreign leaders such as Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a speech in Rome on religious liberty.
“Maybe some people need to actually learn how a woman’s body works. When you understand how a woman’s body works, you will understand that the parameters that are being proposed mean that for the vast majority of women, by the time she realizes she is pregnant, she will effectively be prohibited from having access to reproductive healthcare that would allow her to choose what happens to her body.”
– Vice President Kamala Harris scolds anti-abortion lawmakers in a speech in Indianapolis.
“I am Kamala Harris, my pronouns are she/her, and I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit.”
– Harris announces her pronouns during an event.
“I won the second time. I did much better the second time. We may just have to do it again.”
– Trump continues to tease a 2024 run in his first speech in Washington, D.C., since leaving the White House.
“I don’t know that the president and I differ on issues, but we may differ on focus. I truly do believe that elections are about the future and that it’s absolutely essential, at a time when so many Americans are hurting, so many families are struggling, that we don’t give way to the temptation to look back.”
– Former Vice President Mike Pence, in his speech at the Young America’s Foundation conference, avoids speaking much of Trump.
“America first must mean safety first. There is no respect for the law, and there certainly is no order. It has to stop, and it has to stop now. … There should be a squad car on every corner if that’s what it takes to stop the killing. You execute a drug dealer and you save 500 lives.”
– Trump offers some strong words about crime in his Washington speech.
“Nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have, as to the maniacs that did that horrible thing.”
– Trump seemingly defends his Bedminster golf course for hosting a LIV Golf event. LIV is backed by Saudi money, angering families of Sept. 11 victims.
“I have respect for Joe Biden. I think he has — despite some mistakes and missteps, despite his age — I think he’s a man of decency, of good principle, of compassion, of empathy, and of strength. But to answer your question directly, which I know is quite rare, no, I don’t.”
– Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) becomes the first sitting Democrat to announce that he would not back a second term for Biden.
