Regardless of what did or did not occur during Biden’s presidency Roy Cooper, as a U.S. Senator, will always govern in ways that will best serve all his constituents as he has always done.

I’m all in for former Democratic N.C. Governor Roy Cooper to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina.  The author of the Aug. 19 My Turn article said,“Due to his winsome personality, good looks and ability to connect with ordinary folks people immediately like him.” 

While I agree that Mr. Cooper has all these positive attributes, they are not the reasons he wins elections. He is not running to win a personality contest or a Mr. America pageant. He wins because he supports programs and legislation that will benefit all the people he represents regardless of their skin color, their religious preference, their political affiliation or their gender identity. He does not follow and support any agenda without question and certainly not an agenda based on the lies that our current president tells over and over again. 

One such lie that the president tells is that under Biden the economy was the worse it has ever been in the history of the United States. On Jan. 21, 2021, when Biden entered office, 142.9 million people were employed in the United States. That number rose to 158.5 million in May 2024, a gain of 15.6 million jobs, according to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics charted by the St. Louis Federal Reserve. These figures are based on nonfarm payroll jobs.

While these are accurate numbers it must be taken into consideration that approximately 9 million jobs were lost during the same period because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the net jobs gain from pre-pandemic levels was approximately 6.2 million jobs. In contrast during trump’s first term the U.S. economy experienced a net gain of 7.2 million jobs during the first three years and a net loss of 9.4 million jobs in 2020 resulting in an overall net loss of 2.2 million jobs.

The inflation rates provided by Trump were repeated by the author of the Aug. 19 My Turn article, “Under Democrats inflation rose from 1.4 percent when Biden entered office to 9.1 percent in 2022, the highest level in over 40 years.” Each of these two rates was based on one particular day and not a yearly rate. Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index is based on the entire year. The following data is provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In 2020, the inflation rate was 1.23 percent. In 2021 it was 4.7 percent. In 2022, it was 8.0 percent. In 2023, it was 4.1 percent and in 2024 it was 2.94 percent. 

Many factors starting before President Biden took office contributed to rising prices during his presidency: 

• The COVID-19 pandemic created supply chain disruptions and increased demand for groceries because people were not eating out at restaurants. In addition, the government stimulus boosted consumer demand.
• Geopolitical events where the war in Ukraine sent global prices for wheat, corn and fertilizer to record highs and sanctions drove up energy prices.
• Climate and agriculture factors where extreme weather including droughts and heatwaves damaged crops and raised the cost of farming, The avian (bird flu) outbreaks caused many poultry flocks to be destroyed and resulted in volatile egg and poultry prices. After an outbreak in 2024, egg prices surged.
• Operational costs and corporate profits included higher labor and energy costs. Increased corporate profits and instances of “price gouging” where some companies were reducing product size while maintaining or increasing the price also impacted the rising costs.

It has been falsely stated by this current president that inflation was the highest in U.S. history under President Biden. The highest inflation rate observed in the U.S. since its founding was 29.78 percent in 1778. In 1917, the inflation rate was 20.49 percent. In 1941, it was 9.9 percent. In 1942, it was 9.1 percent. In 1946, it was 18.1 percent and in 1947, it was 8.8 percent. Within the last 40 years, the inflation rate in 1974 was 11.1 percent. In 1975, it was 9.1 percent. In 1979, it was s 11.3 percent. In 1980, it was 13.5 percent and in 1981 it was 10.3 percent.

Regardless of what did or did not occur during Biden’s presidency Roy Cooper, as a U.S. Senator, will always govern in ways that will best serve all his constituents as he has always done.