Claim: Kamala Harris said the US economy was in terrible shape when she took office.
“The economy has collapsed and a large part of that is due to Donald Trump's mismanagement of the crisis. When we came into office, our number one priority was to save America,” Harris said in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash that aired Thursday night.
Verdict: False.
Before Kamala Harris and Joe Biden took office, the US economy was recovering rapidly from the pandemic and lockdowns. According to the Commerce Department, the economy grew at an annualized rate of 34.8% in the third quarter of 2020, 4.2% in the following quarter, and 5.2% in the first quarter of 2021.
The unemployment rate, which soared as businesses were ordered to close during the pandemic, has also fallen sharply. After hitting a high of 14.8% in April 2020, the rate was down to 6.4% by the time Harris became vice president.
Far from allowing “mismanagement” to exacerbate the economic challenges caused by the pandemic, the Trump administration’s response averted what would have otherwise been economic disaster.
It's a lie Joe Biden has told many times over the years, dating all the way back to his campaign in 2020. The Biden-Harris Administration relied on this false portrayal of the economy in 2021 to pass the massive $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which was the primary cause of the worst inflation spike in 40 years.
