Earlier on Tuesday, we covered President Joe Biden’s trip to Arizona. My colleague Sister Toldjah wrote on the dearth of actual work on Biden’s work schedule, something which has been evident to many Americans through the first three years of his tenure in the White House. Meanwhile, Nick Arama shared details of Biden’s announcement during his visit at and near the Grand Canyon of the plans for a new national monument area—and the potential negative impacts on both national security and the rights of local ranchers.

During the evening’s episode of CNN’s “The Lead,” host Jake Tapper introduced the topic of a panel segment: Biden’s southwest campaign swing taking place this week, to Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

He mentioned that the stop at the Grand Canyon was part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to once again push its radical progressive environmental agenda, in a battleground state he won in 2020. Tapper said it’s “meant to mark the one-year anniversary” of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act—the bloated behemoth of a spending law Biden and the Democrats in Congress used to push through part of the leftist Squad’s Green New Deal. And we’re all aware now that it did nothing to reduce inflation or help the economy.

But then Tapper changed gears, moving the conversation to the reason his pals in the White House probably want CNN to report on Biden’s trip. They’re “clearly trying to gin up excitement for Pres. Biden’s 2024 campaign.” He referenced a poll that CNN released last week, which the network’s own data analyst Harry Enten said “stinks” for Biden on both his job approval and handling of the economy. Arama wrote:

“If you look at Joe Biden’s approval on the economy right now, IT STINKS!” Enten declared, explaining it was well below 40 percent. Biden has a 37 percent approval rating on the economy and 63 percent disapproval.

Tapper showed those numbers again on the screen, saying that he “felt like [he] has been noting” a recurring theme for the past three years:

Pres. Biden is out there heralding such-and-such, and the American people disapprove overwhelmingly. Three years in, we’re still having this conversation.

CNN's Jake Tapper: "I feel like I've been noting this for three years — President Biden is out there heralding such and such, and the American people disapprove overwhelmingly! Three years in, we're still having this conversation!" pic.twitter.com/ODTYFrN9qN

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 8, 2023

The entire time Tapper was sharing his thoughts on the dismal polling for Biden, guest Ayesha Rascoe, who hosts a weekend news program on NPR, could be clearly heard in the background, giggling nervously. Then she insisted she had the answer to Tapper’s quandary on why they were still “having the conversation.” She said:

Because there is not…the connection isn’t happening. And I know that has to be frustrating for his staff. When you look at the economy, when you look at the raw numbers, there’s a lot of good there!

Unemployment’s relatively low, inflation’s coming down, but people aren’t feeling that way. I think part of it is that, when you had inflation, that’s such a pocketbook issue. It really hit people where they hurt. You’ve got interest rates up…It’s just a lot.

Everything feels more expensive, and I think that’s the issue that they have, is that they have not been able to connect and make people feel like Biden has done something for them. I think it’s hard, because Biden is not that type of candidate, that gets people all worked up, in their hearts, to feel very warm and fuzzy about him.

What Rascoe is trying to say, without saying it explicitly: Joe Biden is not Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. And again, we see Democrats trying to convince themselves—and everyone else—that it’s the messaging that’s the problem, not the message or who’s delivering it. They just aren’t succeeding in convincing people that they aren’t dealing with hard times. They aren’t getting across to people that the big government policies of the Democrats are the solution. Of course, it’s never a positive thing that so many Americans are hurting economically right now. But seeing them at least somewhat aware that spending more isn’t fixing things is a hopeful sign.

You can watch the full segment below, via CNN:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis replaces his 2024 campaign manager with just more than two weeks until the first Republican presidential debate. Axios Senior Contributor @margarettalev and NPR Host @ayesharascoe discuss with CNN's @jaketapper pic.twitter.com/3csJlp78cV

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) August 8, 2023