Joe 2.0: Biden attempts an upgrade as polling shows last-year's model is dangerously out of date

President Biden's decision to burst out of the gate in 2022 with something he spent most of 2021 running from — a press conference — suggests the White House is attempting to learn from the mistakes made in its first year with a shiny new approach to running the country.

Wednesday afternoon's East Room press conference is emblematic of a White House attempting to reconstruct itself into a less-cloistered outfit that embraces the public.

And so, at the podium Wednesday, the press and the nation will behold Biden 2.0.

The need for a new edition of the president is unmistakable: Biden is strikingly unpopular. A Quinnipiac poll released last week shocked Democrats and Republicans alike with a finding that only 33% of Americans approve of the job Biden is doing, compared to 53% who do not. The poll is an outlier, but others aren't too much better.

The president is often criticized as being out of touch and divorced from the problems of voters. For example, inflation, which according to a FOX Business poll conducted last month is easily the biggest economic problem voters say they face.

FOX BUSINESS POLL: VOTERS THINK BIDEN IS MAKING INFLATION WORSE

Until recently, the White House did not seem to be taking inflation very seriously. Just three months ago, Biden's chief of staff retweeted a tweet calling inflation a "high class" problem. Meantime, the White House has sought to emphasize that the economy is growing and that various other economic data look great.

But Americans can't see GDP growth. They can't see an unemployment rate and might not be too worried about one unless they are out of a job. But as they stroll the supermarket aisles and cruise past the local Exxon, they can sure see the rising prices, and they feel them achingly when they run their credit cards.

Worse for Biden, 47% of voters think he is making inflation worse, along with 28% who say he's not making a difference, according to the FOX Business poll. Only 22% thought Biden's policies are helping with inflation.

Voters specifically believe Biden's signature Build Back Better social spending plan, which flamed out in December, would make prices go up more. And while the spending plan is generally popular, it's hardly the top thing on people's presidential to-do list.

So Biden 2.0 is not talking much about reviving BBB. And last week, when inflation for December came in at 7%, the highest number in 40 years, Biden released a statement devoid of charges that evil corporate fat cats were jacking up prices, a line the White House has previously taken. Instead, Biden acknowledged the problem and said he was focused "every day" on creating sustainable growth while curbing inflation.

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