MAGA lawmaker ridiculed for claiming US was better off during Covid: ‘Do these people have amnesia?’

Elise Stefanik, the Donald Trump critic-turned-superfan, has been ridiculed for claiming that Americans were “better off” four years ago during the deadly Covid-19 pandemic than they are now.

Ms Stefanik, the House GOP Conference chair, announced at a House Republican leadership press conference on Wednesday that Mr Trump will be her party’s nominee “and will be the 47th president of the United States”.

She then began blasting President Joe Biden and his policies, highlighting the “catastrophic” border crisis, inflation, and the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.

Quoting former president Ronald Reagan, she asked the crowd: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”

“The answer for hard-working Americans across the country is a resounding ‘no’.”

Ms Stefanik was referring to the span of Mr Biden’s term, but social media users — and the Republican lawmaker’s colleagues in the House — pounced on her claim, pointing out exactly what was going on four years ago in March 2020.

Back then, Covid-19 was ravaging America and the nation was going into shutdowns, that went on to leave businesses and whole industries on the brink of ruin.

Elise Stefanik speaking at a House GOP leaders news conference

Illinois Democrat Sean Casten responded to Ms Stefanik in a scorching response on X.

“The gentlelady from NY seems to have forgotten about body bags in Central Park, a collapsing economy, loss of faith in US democracy around the world and a tax-dodging, COVID-denying rapist President who was preparing his final act of sedition,” he said.

Her colleague Virginia Democratic Rep Don Beyer posted on X: “Do these people have amnesia? Four years ago we were in a pandemic that killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, people couldn’t