Biden's former chief of staff says the president spends too much time 'talking about bridges'

• Biden's former chief of staff said the president is focusing too much on infrastructure.
• "I think it's kind of a fool's errand," Ron Klain said at an event.
• Klain said he thinks Biden should address issues more affecting voters, like rising grocery costs.

Democratic President Joe Biden's former White House chief of staff said he thinks the president is spending too much time publicly highlighting his infrastructure wins in office instead of addressing economic issues that impact voters.

Ron Klain, who worked in the Biden Administration from inauguration to February 2023, questioned Biden and his campaign's current tactics at an event on Tuesday, Politico reported.

"I think the president is out there too much talking about bridges," Klain said. "He does two or three events a week where he's cutting a ribbon on a bridge."

He said he thinks Biden should focus more on issues directly affecting people's daily lives, like the cost of groceries. During his time in office, Biden has signed a series of laws to fund projects to repair some of the nation's deteriorating infrastructure, which he's highlighted repeatedly on the campaign trail.

But to Klain, who was also Biden's right-hand-man during part of President Barack Obama's administration, Biden's priorities aren't what they should be — at least not for the position he's running for.

"He's not a congressman. He's not running for Congress," Klain said. "I think it's kind of a fool's errand. I think that also doesn't get covered that much because, look, it's a fucking bridge."

Biden recently visited the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. He's insisted the federal government will cover the likely more than $600 million cost to rebuild it, drawing ire from a handful of congressional Republicans.

Klain has noted that it's difficult for people to see the results of major investments in infrastructure repair, especially when consumers are increasingly spending a larger chunk of their paychecks on food as inflation continues to impact families.

Klain may have a point — voters rarely, if ever, cite infrastructure or bridges as their top priorities for their leaders. Instead, in recent months, they've focused much more on economic, immigration, and foreign policy concerns.