Biden had a private lunch with Bill Clinton during which the former president urged him to take credit if inflation decreases, report says

According to a report by The Washington Post, President Joe Biden met with Bill Clinton in May and the former president advised him on a number of topics.

The meeting was confirmed by the White House after The Post first reported it, according to people familiar with the situation. The details of what the two Democrats talked about had not been reported.

According to people briefed on the conversation, Biden and Clinton talked about inflation, Ukraine, and the upcoming elections. The US provided extensive aide to the Eastern European country since Russia invaded in February, according to Clinton.

The Post reported that Clinton told Biden to talk more about what the White House was doing to address inflation in order to set himself up for credit if inflation goes down.

Inflation rates continued to rise after the meeting, but seem to have cooled off. Democrats in congress struck a deal on a massive tax, healthcare, and climate bill.

The effect of the bill on inflation is not known. Analysts have differing opinions on when the bill will affect prices.

Biden's meeting with Clinton was in line with his practice of getting outside experts to help him with issues. According to The Post, Biden met with a group of historians last week to discuss threats to democracy, and in January he met with foreign policy experts ahead of an expected Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The White House didn't reply immediately.