The engine is brand new I shouldn't have to clean the carb already
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In theory.
How often does "it's brand new so I shouldn't have to..." actually apply to ANYTHING from harbor freight though?
When you say you took the air box off, do you mean the entire intake, or just the air filter cover?
Start with a carb cleaning, and checking the seal between the carb and the engine. These things aren't built in a clean room by NASA technicians, they're pounded out in a dirty factory by hourly laborers (who are likely undperpaid and underage). There could be a tiny chip of metal left over from machining lodged in a carb passage, or some random gunk or whatever. How long has that gas been sitting in the can in your shed?
Check the governor linkages too to make sure nothing got bent or is binding up.