Four years ago New York City had to resort to refrigerated trucks to hold dead people because their morgues were full.
The “4 years ago” line usually works regardless of circumstances because people don’t really remember what 4 years ago was like and they know stuff happening now that they’re not happy about. So yeah, asking a rando without context probably does get the answer you expect, but that’s exactly why Biden’s messaging on this is reminding people what four years ago was actually like.