Inflation caused by pandemic, not Biden policies, says White House adviser

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -White House economic adviser Brian Deese said on Sunday that rising prices are a global issue stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and not a result of the policies of President Joe Biden.

Biden and his top economic advisers, including Deese, have for months predicted that inflation would be a short-term problem.

Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" if they were wrong, Deese said, "No, I don't think so. I think that what we have said consistently is that the pandemic and the economy are interlinked."

Deese defended Biden administration policies on several Sunday television news shows after U.S. consumer prices accelerated in October as Americans paid more for gasoline and food, leading to the biggest annual gain in 31 years amid snarled global supply chains.

"There's no doubt inflation is high right now. It's affecting Americans' pocketbooks. It's affecting their outlook," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"But it's important that we put this in context. When the president took office, we were facing an all-out economic crisis."

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Andrea Ricci)