House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) spent Friday doing what politicians love to do: telling voters to look at the scoreboard, not the press conference. In a post on X, Johnson defended President Donald Trump's record on inflation, immigration and crime, arguing Republicans have made "incredible progress" cleaning up what he called the failures of the Biden-Harris administration.

"No matter what Democrats 'say,' NEVER FORGET what they actually DID," Johnson wrote.

The inflation argument

Johnson pointed to inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 under former President Joe Biden, and claimed it had fallen to 3.4% under Republicans. There is one wrinkle: the latest September PCE reading showed inflation at 3.6%. So the direction is right, but the number Johnson cited is a bit stale.

That gap matters because inflation has been the central economic talking point for both parties. Last week, Trump claimed inflation was "way down" and incomes were rising. Federal Reserve officials, however, had warned that inflation remained elevated, citing higher energy prices, tariffs, geopolitical developments and AI-related costs.

The broader data is a mixed bag. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. economy grew 3.4% in the third quarter, beating expectations of 3.2%. But September's PCE inflation rose 3.6% annually, while core PCE increased 3.1%. The Federal Reserve had held interest rates steady at 3.75%-4.00%.

Border and crime claims

On immigration, Johnson claimed that about 20 million unauthorized immigrants entered the country during the Biden administration, a figure that has been disputed by independent fact-checkers. He said the number had fallen to zero for an entire fiscal year under Republican leadership, declaring that "the border is secure thanks to Republicans."

On crime, Johnson blamed Democrats' "defund the police rhetoric and soft on crime policies" for "MASSIVE crime spikes" in American communities. He contrasted that with the current murder rate, which he said was at a "120-year low thanks to Republicans."

"Republicans have made incredible progress fixing the 4 years of DISASTER Joe Biden and Kamala Harris left behind," Johnson wrote.

He did acknowledge the work isn't finished, adding, "We know the job isn't done, and we'll keep fighting to continue improving the lives of all Americans."

Whether voters buy the pitch is another question. Johnson's message is clearly aimed at framing the midterm conversation around the past rather than the present, where inflation remains above the Fed's target and the economic mood is sour. It's a familiar playbook: if the current numbers aren't perfect, remind people how bad things used to be. The catch, of course, is that voters tend to grade on the curve of their own grocery bills.