Steph Deschamps / October 14, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden paid nearly four times the price for his tacos on Thursday during a visit to Los Angeles, as a sign of solidarity with Americans hit hard by inflation, three weeks before the mid-term elections.
Smiling, the White House tenant explained to the waiter that the surplus should be used to pay for the next customer's meal.
The chain's employee initially wanted to reduce the president's bill by 50% as a reward for his "public service" mission. For two quesadillas and six tacos ordered by Mr. Biden and a few California elected officials, he asked for only $16.45.
Instead of accepting this commercial gesture, the Democratic president, who is handicapped by the strong rise in prices in the United States and could lose his majority in Congress during the mid-term elections, handed him tickets for a total of 60 dollars.
This largesse was granted just hours after the publication of new inflation figures, which confirmed the loss of purchasing power of Americans.
Prices rose by 8.2% in September over a year, according to the CPI index - which is the reference - published Thursday by the Labor Department. Over a month, inflation accelerated again with +0.4% between August and September, against +0.1% between July and August.
Mr. Biden announced Thursday afternoonthat he would make decisions "next week" on the price of gasoline, which remains "too high".
The president is currently touring several western states to support Democratic candidates before the mid-term elections.