MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle was slammed on Sunday after she claimed that it was a “dirty little secret” that people “have the money” to offset skyrocketing inflation rates because, according to her, people have been saving money and the stock market is good.
“The dirty little secret here, Willie, while nobody likes to pay more, on average we have the money to do so. Household savings hit a record high over the pandemic,” Ruhle said, later adding, “While the stock market isn’t the economy, you have over half of American households with some investment in the markets and the markets have hit record highs.”
WATCH:
Inflation airhead: NBC's Stephanie Ruhle says the "dirty little secret" of people complaining about paying higher prices for food and fuel for their homes is they can afford it just fine. According to her, people should have been saving during the pandemic and stocks look good. pic.twitter.com/RQ90focIXJ
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) November 14, 2021
Notable responses to Ruhle’s remarks included:
- Donald Trump Jr.: “Remember folks, this is what they think of you. They can destroy our economy and you’ll all be just fine.”
- Ashe Short, The Daily Wire: “Yes, you should have been saving while you didn’t have a job because people like Ruhle totally supported laying people off.”
- Batya Ungar-Sargon, Newsweek: “The ‘dirty little secret’ is not that Americans saved last year because they didn’t go out to restaurants and their homes increased in value. The dirty little secret is that American journalism is produced by & for people who go to expensive restaurants and own expensive homes.” She continued, “There is a huge class chasm in America. On one side are Americans lying awake at night worrying about inflation and how they’ll afford Thanksgiving & Christmas. But the people charged with telling the American story, with telling politicians what matters, are on the other side.” She added, “The depressing and deplorable coverage (or non coverage!) of inflation is such an indictment of our media as a class. So many American journalists just don’t know anyone who is feeling the difference in the price of milk or gas, let alone feeling it themselves.”
- Kellyanne Conway: “SISTER PLEASE! Millions of Americans CANNOT afford these surges at the gas pump and grocery store. Read the NBC polls! Folks are worried, disapprove of Biden/Harris.”
- Jason Beisel, public information officer: “Rich network anchor preaches at peasants on how they should’ve saved for the inflation that is ahead. Give me a break.”
- Chad Gilmartin, communications for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy: “First you were told it’s ‘transitory’ now you’re being told to stop complaining and just pay more for everything.”
- Jesse Hunt, The Republican Governors Association: “My god, middle class families rely on the market for retirement savings… Not to buy milk and chicken for their family of 4 or buy gasoline to get to work and sports practices.”
- Jon Najarian, investor: “With rising inflation & greater valuations for assets that generate wealth, the gap between the most and least well-off Americans is widening. Lower-income households have less flexibility in how they spend, thus the ‘dirty little secret’ is that inflation hurts them more.”
- Steve Guest, communications for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX): “Stephanie Ruhle is NBC’s Marie Antoinette.”