‘We’ve been through a challenging time,’ Jarrett says

White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said Thursday the president’s year of action pledge has changed the paradigm of the president’s struggling approval ratings.  

During an interview with Fox’s Bill O’Reilly, Jarrett admitted the administration has gone through a difficult streak but would make a lot of moves that do not involve Congress. 

{mosads}”Look, we’ve been through a challenging time,” she said. “I think that, as a result of what the president did at the — at the State of the Union, he changed the paradigm. We’re going to have a year of action. He’s going to be doing a lot of things that don’t necessarily involve Congress.”

Jarrett said President Obama has never focused on his polling numbers and wouldn’t have become president if he did. 

Obama’s approval rating in a new CBS-New York Times poll stood at 41 percent, while 51 percent of people disapproved of him. 

His approval rating is down 5 percent since last month but nearly dipped to its record low of 37 percent during the botched rollout of the federal health exchange. 

Fifty percent of people said there are some good things in the healthcare law but other parts need to be changed. Another 42 percent said the law must be repealed in its entirety — a number up 8 points since last month. 

After O’Reilly asked if Michelle Obama would go on the program to make a pitch about the dangers of teen pregnancy, Jarrett said it could be a great idea.   

“It’s a great pitch to have her come on FOX,” she said. “I think it’s better if she’s actually sitting down in the classroom with the girls, inviting them to the White House, sharing her life experience with them.”

The interview came after the president unveiled his “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative aimed at helping young minority men. O’Reilly was in the audience for the speech. 

“This is not a big government program,” Jarrett said, reiterating the president’s words earlier thin the day. “In fact, the government’s role is rather minor. And it — and it requires accountability. It requires people to step up to the plate and work hard and stay in school and excel and dream.”