The administration’s communication challenge is twofold. First is the old “don’t think of an elephant” problem. What are you thinking of? Second, saying “This isn’t a recession” only convinces people we’re in a recession. The word “recession” makes a much stronger impression on the listener than the word “isn’t.” This is one of the easiest mistakes to avoid, but it pops up daily.

Last month, Bloomberg Television’s Jonathan Ferro and Tom Keene were grilling Heather Boushey, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. President Biden had tweeted to “the companies running gas stations” that they should “bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product.” Mr. Ferro asked Ms. Boushey to respond to criticism from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. She dodged, and Mr. Keene demanded to know who was “advising the president on shockingly naive price theory.”

Her answer: “The president is not shockingly naive.”

The satirical Babylon Bee ran a story last week with a photo of an Oval Office signing ceremony. The headline: “Biden Signs ‘Don’t Say Recession’ Bill.” Maybe they can encourage compliance by posting signs: “Don’t even think about saying recession.”