White House plays up Fox Business host comments: ‘There goes that recession talk’

The White House is highlighting praise of the economy from an anchor on Fox Business Network, which is owned by conservative billionaire Rupert Murdoch.

Anchor Cheryl Casone noted on Thursday the better-than-expected GDP growth so far this year.

“2.4 percent … the estimate was only for 1.8 percent, talk about a strong economy,” Casone said. “There goes that recession talk, right?”

White House deputy communications director Herbie Ziskend subsequently shared the clip on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Analysts expected a 1.8 percent GDP gain in the second quarter for the U.S. economy, a decline from the first quarter’s 2 percent. But the actual growth outpaced all but the most optimistic predictions coming in at that 2.4 percent mark.

“We were thinking we were going to have a slowdown, it’s the opposite!” Casone said. “Economy is still strong.”

The Commerce Department figures lessen fears of a recession that have loomed over the U.S. economy for the better part of a year. The Federal Reserve went back on its March prediction of an upcoming “mild” recession earlier this week, at the same time raising interest rates to a 22-year high.

The numbers also show that inflation continues to fall, to 3.8 percent year-over-year, and that worker productivity is rising.

First quarter figures, released last month, also outpaced expectations, pointing to a stronger economy overall than many expected. That could be a good sign for President Biden’s reelection campaign, as the president has leaned on “Bidenomics” as a selling point for a second term.