OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
CNN has not been friendly territory for the administration of President Joe Biden recently, as was evidenced again during an interview with the president’s commerce secretary.
The secretary, Gina Raimondo, was ambushed by CNN anchor Jake tapper who hit her with tough questions on the economy that she attempted to dance around and appeared to be unprepared for.
“You heard Secretary Yellen this week said she got it wrong about inflation. In July, you told Bloomberg that inflation would be temporary, about a year ago. As recently as six months ago, you were calling inflation a — quote – ‘short-term problem,’ not a long-term problem. So, you got it wrong too,” he said to start the interview.
“So, clearly, we are and Americans are struggling with inflation, but I don’t think anyone predicted Putin’s war in Ukraine or various other things that have happened that have been unexpected. I still think we will get inflation under control. We just have to stick with it and see it through. You know, I think it — it’s worth noting that gas prices are up $1.40 a gallon since Putin moved troops into Ukraine. So, the president and our team is doing everything we possibly can to get inflation under control,” she said, pinning the blame on the war.
CNN'S JAKE TAPPER: "As recently as six months ago, you were calling inflation 'a short-term problem, not a long-term problem.'"
COMMERCE SECRETARY GINA RAIMONDO: "I still think we will get inflation under control, we just have to stick with it." pic.twitter.com/ftec6ui6Gv
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 5, 2022
“The reality is, the cause of this inflation is the supply chain problems that were caused by COVID we’re still struggling with. Putin’s war is driving the price of food and gas up, and that’s — you know, we can’t deny that. We know Americans are struggling, and demand changes. You know, demand continues to be strong post-COVID in ways that were different than pre-COVID.
“So, we are committed to it, and, most important, the Fed. I mean, obviously, the Fed monetary policy has much bigger tools than any administration to get inflation under control,” the secretary said.
“And you heard Larry Summers, a top economist, just yesterday saying you’re starting to see — you know, you’re starting to see inflation come down,” she said, which was a mistake as Tapper seized on it.
“Well, all due respect, Madam Secretary, Larry Summers, a year ago, more than a year ago, was saying that the Biden administration was putting too much money into the economy, flooding too much money into the economy, and he was concerned about inflation. And Biden administration officials said that Larry Summers was wrong. And it turned out Larry Summers was right,” he said.
CNN's Jake Tapper roasts Biden Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo for repeatedly ignoring warnings of surging inflation.
RAIMONDO: "Uh, I don't really agree with that characterization…" pic.twitter.com/cEPK8KuApy
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 5, 2022
“I don’t really agree with that characterization. Look, the reality is, I was just in Europe a couple of weeks ago. Gas there in France is $10 a gallon. and — right? And they didn’t have an American Rescue Plan like we did,” the secretary said.
“I shudder to think, Jake, what we’d be living through right now if we didn’t have the American Rescue Plan. Remember, that was the money for vaccinations, which actually allowed us to get everybody back to work. That was the money for emergency rental relief.
“I was the governor of Rhode Island before this job. When I took over as governor, we were deep into the — quote, unquote — “recovery” from the stimulus last time, which was anemic. When I took over, unemployment in my state was 7 or 8 percent. So, I can’t — you know, when the president — when President Biden took over, we had 18 million people collecting unemployment insurance. That’s down more than 90 percent right now,” she said.
“We have a strong economy now. People are working,” she argued. “Inflation’s a problem. I will grant you that, and we will get it under control because we’re going to stick with it until we do.”
