Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner encouraged the White House to tell Americans worried about the economy and their 401(k)s they should view the situation like a “war effort.”
The panel on Tuesday’s episode of Outnumbered was discussing President Donald Trump’s tariffs that are set to roll out on Wednesday. Trump has dubbed the day “Liberation Day,” with reciprocal tariffs being imposed on nearly every country that trades with the U.S., but the stock market has reacted negatively and numerous economists are forecasting a bumpy road ahead, even a looming recession.
At a White House press briefing Tuesday, Fox News senior White House Correspondent Peter Doocy fired a series of questions at Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about seniors “stressed about these wild swings in the stock market because of the tariff uncertainty,” and how that might bring them some struggles, living off a 401(k) or fixed income, even asking her what if Trump and his trade and tariff advisors were “wrong.”
Kayleigh McEnany, a former White House press secretary from Trump’s first term, told her colleagues on the Outnumbered panel that she thought Doocy asked a “great question” and found Leavitt’s framing of her answer to be “fascinating,” when she said “we’re talking about future generations here too, which is right, and how do you balance a future generation and having manufacturing here, and a current generation that’s very much concerned about their 401(k)s?”
“Well, and, again, I mean, I said this earlier and I wholeheartedly believe that everything’s going to work out,” said Faulkner.
She continued:
The markets are a snapshot, as you said, Kayleigh, you know, today compared to yesterday, compared to tomorrow. The issue is going to be, which generations of today are you choosing, because those are the ones that just voted you in, in November.
So being transparent about what that bumpy road is going to be like, and making an educated guess — look, we have a president now that isn’t whiffing anything and he’s certainly not taking unmitigated risks. He can read the road ahead and make a deal — Art of the Deal. So part of that deal is to making sure your “shareholders” — the actual people, not by money, but by vote — understand what’s coming. And those 401(k) people who are depending, those retirees, all of that — just talking plain speak with them.
Look, when this nation used to go to war, people in this country would support the war effort with their materials at home and making things for weaponry and all of that. We gotta do 100% buy-in over this bumpy period — just communicate.
Watch the clip above via Fox News.
