FACT CHECK: Did Jen Psaki Say, ‘If You Don’t Buy Anything, You Won’t Experience Inflation’?

An image shared on Facebook claims White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “If you don’t buy anything, you won’t experience inflation.”

Verdict: False

There is no evidence Psaki said this. The quote appears to have originated from a satirical Instagram account.

Fact Check:

The consumer price index (CPI), an important measurement index for inflation, has increased by 6.8 percent over the past year, the sharpest increase since 1982, according to the Associated Press. Now, some social media users are sharing a screenshot of what appears to be a news article that claims Psaki said, “If you don’t buy anything, you won’t experience inflation.”

“Don’t buy anything,” it also quotes her as supposedly saying. “Barter for food and necessities then you won’t even see a price tag.” (RELATED: Viral Post Claims To Show Photo Of Joe Biden And Jen Psaki)

There is, however, no evidence that Psaki made these comments. Check Your Fact didn’t find any instances of the alleged quotes on the White House’s website or on either of Pskai’s verified Twitter accounts. There are likewise no credible media reports about Psaki making the remarks.

Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found the image of Psaki included in the post is from a Nov. 12 White House press briefing. The transcript for that particular briefing does not include the quotes either, though Psaki did mention inflation several times during it.

“I would note that everyone from the Federal Reserve to Wall Street agree with our assessment that inflation is already expected to be subs- — to substantially decelerate next year,” said Psaki at one point in the briefing. “I know you’re not talking about that, but that’s an important component here.”

The purported quotes appear to stem from Beep.satire, a satirical Instagram page that shared the same image on Dec. 15. While Beep.satire clearly discloses the satirical nature of its posts, the post shared on Facebook did not include any such Disclaimer.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

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