Drop in US GDP challenges Biden’s pitch to voters

By JOSH BOAK
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest report on gross domestic product is complicating President Joe Biden’s pitch that the U.S. economy is strong. It shows that the economy shrank at a 1.4% annualized rate during the first three months of this year. Biden says the drop reflects technical quirks such as businesses adding less to their inventories, while Republicans have a direct line of attack to say the problem is rooted in inflation at a 40-year high. The risk for Biden is now a muddled message going into the midterm elections at a time when voters are focused on the economy.