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Ahead of Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner donned her most serious face and urged Americans nervous about their retirement savings to back the president’s market-shaking trade policies with the fervor of a wartime production effort. Because apparently, why not turn financial anxiety into a national rallying cry?
“Are we at war?” pondered Daily Beast columnist Julia Davis, clearly trying to understand Faulkner’s not-so-genius analogy.
On a recent episode of Fox News’ Outnumbered, Faulkner and the ever-eloquent former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany engaged in a riveting discussion, or as riveting as it gets on that channel, about whether or not Trump might be “wrong” on tariffs. Spoiler: the answer was a resounding “not in this universe.”
McEnany found it “fascinating” that the press secretary casually dismissed grave concerns about 401(k)s as she turned the mic over to Faulkner. “Everything’s going to work out,” Faulkner assured her audience, sounding as confident as someone who just spilled coffee on their white shirt.
Faulkner then likened the market’s current state to a “road” full of bumps, claiming that those dependent on retirement funds must brace themselves for the ride, as if they were on a cross-country trip in a jalopy missing a few wheels. She elaborated, passionately urging an all-in commitment during this “bumpy period,” which, let’s be real, could be another way of saying “Hold onto your wallets!”
Outside the echo chamber of Fox News, the response was predictably savage. Critics pounced on Faulkner’s suggestion that retirees should simply suck it up while Trump rolls the economic dice.
“A millionaire TV personality lecturing everyday folks about sacrifices? What delightful irony,” quipped journalist Mike Rothschild, obviously loving the drama. Meanwhile, Jonah Goldberg from The Dispatch weighed in, asserting that comparing trade issues to wartime efforts was a “fallacy.” Seems like he’s missed a few Fox segments in his day.
Liberal author Don Winslow deemed the entire analogy “ludicrous,” stating that while Trump is busy crashing the economy, Faulkner is somehow misplacing her logic. And former Chicago Tribune editor Mark Jacob went a step further, suggesting that Faulkner’s comments fit neatly into a “fascist playbook: Create chaos then present yourself as the knight in shining armor.” Talk about an unsolicited critique!
