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.
The consumer price index rose 6.2% year over year in October, according to the Department of Labor, the largest annual gain since November 1990. And prices rose 0.9% month over month.
But the soaring costs, Ruhle said on NBC, were expected after the worldwide pandemic, before telling anchor Willie Geist that Americans "on average" can actually afford the higher prices.
"The dirty little secret here, Willie, while nobody likes to pay more, on average, we have the money to do so," she said. "Household savings hit a record high over the pandemic, we didn't really have anywhere to go out and spend."
Ruhle added that the U.S. is expecting "record" retail sales this year, home values are up, and the stock market is experiencing record highs, to justify her argument.
Conservative pundits predicted that, if adopted by Democrats, the kind of messaging Ruhle was espousing will derail their chances in the next round of elections. Others referred to Ruhle as "Stephanie Antoinette," in reference to Marie Antoinette, the arrogant Queen of France during the French Revolution.
