White House Chief of Staff: Inflation and Rising Food Prices Are 'High Class' Problem
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain ignited a firestorm after sharing a tweet that denigrated the rampant inflation taking ever bigger chunks for the paychecks of working Americans.
During a week in which oil prices hit their highest levels in three years, data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed inflation at its highest level in 13 years as consumer prices rose by 5.4 percent in September, according to NBC News.
The Biden administration’s party line has been that inflation is a temporary byproduct of the economy restarting after pandemic restrictions ended.
In that vein, Klain retweeted a post from Harvard economics professor Jason Furman that called America’s economic woes “high class problems.”
“Most of the economic problems we’re facing (inflation, supply chains, etc.) are high class problems. We wouldn’t have had them if the unemployment rate was still 10 percent. We would instead have had a much worse problem,” Furman wrote.
Klain added a one-word comment — “This” — with fingers pointing to Furman’s tweet.
This ?? https://t.co/ymh53nEHAg
— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) October 14, 2021
The reference to inflation as a “high class” problem angered many on social media.
So the White House’s message to retirees and families whose wealth is potentially being destroyed is that inflation is a high class problem https://t.co/DXApyzIn5n
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) October 14, 2021
Yep, a lack of truck drivers and the influx of millions of illegal aliens are “high class problems” that only impact the rich. Same thing with the price of steak and gas, they really only impact rich whitey. Shut up and eat your gruel, you don’t know how good you have it, loser. https://t.co/kQbdAOstY5
— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) October 14, 2021
“Inflation ain’t that bad” is a fantastic message after also admitting Americans will be paying 50% more in energy costs this winter.
— Jon ? (@JonnyMicro) October 14, 2021
Hard to imagine a more ignorant, arrogant or elitist statement than dismissing runaway inflation and collapsed supply chains as “high class problems.” https://t.co/RCqKkRnZ7c
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) October 14, 2021
Many Republicans said the comment reflects the elitist thinking of the White House.
“As long as we’re on the subject of class, it appears Mr. Klain and the entire Biden White House missed Economics 101,” Republican Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia told the Daily Mail.
“Inflation hurts working families and seniors on fixed incomes the most while their runaway spending is leaving all our children and grandchildren under a crushing mountain of debt to China,” he said.
Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida deplored the continued “tone-deafness” of the Biden administration.
“The cluelessness embroiling the White House stems from the top down, and that is evident with the tone-deaf statements coming from the Press Secretary and Chief of Staff,” Donalds said.
“While they ignore the reality of Biden’s failed economic agenda, everyday Americans feel the pain of Bidenomics at the pump, grocery store, and just about every aspect of daily life,” he said. “The American people are not better off today than before Biden got into office, and skyrocketing inflation is one of the many reasons this is the case.”
Republican Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan said Klain’s post shows “how truly out of touch he and the Biden administration are with the American people.”
Biden looks more like Jimmy Carter as every week goes by.
Let them eat cake.https://t.co/ESBycXQA4j
— Aaron Ginn (@aginnt) October 13, 2021
Experts say inflation is not done ravaging Americans’ wallets, despite White House assurances.
“Price increases stemming from ongoing supply chain bottlenecks amid strong demand will keep the rate of inflation elevated, as supply (and) demand imbalances are only gradually resolved,” said Kathy Bostjancic, an economist at Oxford Economics, a consulting firm, according to KTRK-TV.
“While we share the Fed’s view that this isn’t the start of an upward wage-price spiral, we look for inflation to remain persistently above 3% through mid-2022.”
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