Obama: When you hear economy is improving, ‘remember who started it’

Former President Obama on Monday urged a crowd in Las Vegas to “remember who started” the current economic boom, reminding them that the country recovered from the Great Recession during his presidency. 

Obama echoed language from President Trump, who in July claimed his administration unleashed an “economic miracle” with tax cuts legislation.

{mosads}”When I walked into office 10 years ago, we were in the middle of the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes,” Obama said at a rally for Nevada Democrats.

“By the time I left office, wages were rising, uninsurance rate was falling, poverty was falling, and that’s what I handed off to the next guy,” he said. 

Former President @BarackObama: “When you hear all this talk about economic miracles right now, remember who started it.”

Full video here: https://t.co/UKtPQDlkQR pic.twitter.com/vYDuJIhF5z

— CSPAN (@cspan) October 22, 2018

“So when you hear all this talk about economic miracles right now, remember who started it,” he said to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. 

The former president in recent weeks has criticized Trump’s tendency to take full credit for the healthy state of the U.S. economy. 

“Six months ago, we unleashed an economic miracle by signing the biggest tax cuts and reforms … the biggest tax cuts in American history,” Trump said at an event in July.

The Associated Press fact-checker called this statement an “exaggeration,” pointing out the economy has been expanding for the past 10 years.

The tax cuts, signed into law in December, are also not the largest in U.S. history. 

During the Monday rally, Obama said economic growth during his presidency could partially be attributed to his administration “making sure the wealthiest Americans, folks like me, paid their fair share of taxes.” 

Obama has been stumping for Democrats across the country ahead of the November midterm elections, emerging from his year of relative silence on the Trump administration. 

He has been vocal in his criticisms of the president since stepping back into the spotlight.

“Unlike some, I actually try to state facts,” Obama said. “I believe in facts. I believe in a fact-based reality, fact-based politics. I don’t believe in just making stuff up. I think you should actually say to people what’s true.”