WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday criticized the way Republican-led states have handled the economy in recent years and acknowledged that Democrats could have done a better job of touting their achievements to voters.

Biden told MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell in a taped interview to explain why he did what he did. "The red states have really messed up in terms of how they handle their economies, their manufacturing, their access to supply chains," said Lawrence O'Donnell, the president of the Trump administration. Shortly after being asked about the economic response to the coronavirus, the Trump administration passed Various measures “invest more in red states than blue states.”

In the wide-ranging interview, Biden also reflected on his handling of the economy, which has become one of the biggest issues driving voter preferences in November.

He said Democrats, including himself, have missed opportunities to better communicate to voters their involvement in popular programs or infrastructure projects.

Biden said he made a "mistake" by "not letting our allies acknowledge that Democrats did this."

If Democrats enact legislation responsible for building a new bridge, "let people know that this is what the Democrats do, this is what the party does," he said.

"The irony is that I almost spend too much time on policy and not enough time on politics," he said.

Biden also raised the issue of signing stimulus checks.

"I did think about it" signing the checks, he said, adding that President-elect Donald Trump putting his name on the stimulus checks was "not a stupid thing for him to do."

Under the 2020 law, paper checks used to distribute COVID-19 relief funds bear Trump's name.

“It helped him a lot, but it undermined our ability to convince people that we were delivering this message to them,” Biden said, referring to Democratic messaging around subsequent coronavirus relief measures.

In March 2021, Biden signed a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill called the "American Rescue Plan" to inject funds into the economy hit hard by the epidemic. Congress passed the legislation along party lines.

Part of the law provides for direct cash payments of $1,400 to individuals in certain income brackets. The White House claims the plan will lead to a "historic recovery across the country."

In his farewell address Wednesday night, Biden issued a series of warnings about threats to the country's future, including "the emergence of an oligarchy" and the "potential rise of the tech-industrial complex."

Thursday's interview was one of the few he has given in his final weeks in office. He also gave an interview to USA Today this month.

The White House has not yet announced plans for Biden to hold a final news conference with reporters, as is customary for outgoing presidents.