Psaki Defends Rising Prices: ‘Good Thing’ Because It Means ‘More People Are Buying Goods’

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki partially defended rising costs on everyday goods during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday afternoon, saying that the costs were rising because demand is surging, which she called a “good thing.”

“A year ago, people were in their homes, 10 percent of people were unemployed. Gas prices were low because nobody was driving. People weren’t buying goods because they didn’t have jobs,” Psaki said. “Now, more people have jobs, more people are buying goods, that’s increasing the demand. That’s a good thing.”

“At the same time, we also know that the supply is low because we’re coming out of the pandemic and because a bunch of manufacturing sectors across the world have shut down, because ports haven’t been functioning as they should be,” Psaki continued. “These are all things we’re working through.”

WATCH:

Jen Psaki Defends Rising Prices: ‘Good Thing’ Because it Means ‘More People are Buying Goods’ pic.twitter.com/IaKVYVSCbR

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) October 15, 2021

Psaki was mocked online over the comment:

Psaki weighs in with the time-honored “Let them eat cake” defense. https://t.co/oD7ic9OxqY

— Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) October 15, 2021

Blink. https://t.co/iK5UtDqXJo

— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) October 15, 2021

LMAOOOOOO https://t.co/im3rgpx9rC

— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) October 15, 2021

Biden had better find some people who aren’t Helen Keller tone deaf and he better find them soon. Working people fixing to revolt. https://t.co/RyXtxNDLfQ

— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) October 15, 2021

Run with that one. https://t.co/0bXKaVJ2N7

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) October 15, 2021

“Having no milk to give to your children is a high class problem” https://t.co/2Ag0m4rc08

— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) October 15, 2021

TRANSCRIPT:

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Inflation is skyrocketing, as I don’t need to tell you. The prices for home heating costs, cars, groceries, furniture, rent, gasoline are hitting Americans right in the wallet. The White House response has been generally to say, hey, inflation shows that we’re coming out of the recession, so it’s a good sign.

President Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, enthusiastically retweeted an economist who had said, in part: “Most of the economic problems we’re facing, inflation, supply chains, etcetera, are high-class problems.”

Now, I get the larger point that, when we’re talking about economics, we’re coming out of recession. But doesn’t it seem tone-deaf to say that rising prices and empty grocery store shelves are high-class problems? Isn’t that a bit dismissive?

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, that’s not exactly what the tweet said, nor the retweet of the original

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