White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain received criticism after he appeared to endorse a tweet that claimed that inflation and supply chain issues are “high class problems.”
On Wednesday, Jason Furman, who served as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under former President Barack Obama, tweeted, “Most of the economic problems we’re facing (inflation, supply chains, etc.) are high class problems.”
“We wouldn’t have had them if the unemployment rate was still 10 percent. We would instead have had a much worse problem,” he added.
Klain re-tweeted Furman’s comments and added, “This.”
This 👇👇 https://t.co/ymh53nEHAg
— Jeff Zients (@WHCOS) October 14, 2021
Social media users quickly responded to that assertion:
Out: inflation isn’t happening
— Abigail Jackson 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) October 14, 2021
Also out: inflation is temporary
In: inflation is a high class problem
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
Yes we all know only ~high class~ people buy cars, gas, groceries, toys, and heat for their homes.
— Andrew Wagner (@andrewwagner) October 14, 2021
Are you for real my guy?
The White House Chief of Staff in Ron Klain endorses this perspective around inflation and supply chain problems being "high class problems."
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) October 14, 2021
Perhaps someone can ask the press secretary today if the president shares this perspective… https://t.co/DvJso5AVYr
If the White House truly believes inflation is a "high class problem," then imagine how absolutely screwed the middle and lower classes are. Wow. https://t.co/rgadO9hBw3
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) October 14, 2021
Biden's 🇺🇸:
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) October 14, 2021
⬆️Gas prices
⬆️Food prices
⬆️Heating prices
⬆️Clothing prices
⬆️New/used car prices
These aren't "high class" issues, @WHCOS. These are everyday American issues & explains your boss's sinking poll numbers. Also, leave DC once in a while & meet your average American. https://t.co/Nnlmf73o83
Americans struggling to buy groceries, fill up their gas tanks and heat their homes ARE NOT “high class” problems, @WHCOS. You all really need to stop wasting away your existence in the important positions you hold in that White House. Lead or get out of the way! https://t.co/WmeDhp35LX
— Lee Zeldin (@LeeMZeldin) October 14, 2021
I am once again asking Ron Klain to log off
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) October 14, 2021
I'm not sure that the messaging of 'inflation and product shortages are high class problems that are only here because unemployment is under 10%' is a good one. https://t.co/TTBYmADJon
— The Darkest Timeline Numbersmuncher (@NumbersMuncher) October 14, 2021
The tweet comes after a new report found that inflation is at its highest rate in 13 years.
Brian Crosby of Traub Capital Partners, told Fox Business, “Consumer prices continue to rise, particularly as demand driven by people returning to post-vaccination life outstrips supply that is increasingly constrained by logistics and labor shortages.”
“We see it every day,” he added.
At the same time, bottlenecks in the supply chain continue to cause delays in products getting to stores’ shelves. A White House official told Reuters earlier this week the bottlenecks will likely mean “there will be things that people can’t get” for the holidays.
However, the official added, “At the same time, a lot of these goods are hopefully substitutable by other things. … I don’t think there’s any real reason to be panicked, but we all feel the frustration, and there’s a certain need for patience to help get through a relatively short period of time.”
The Biden administration is working with industry leaders to try to address the bottlenecks in the supply chain.
And on Wednesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration warned Americans could pay as much as 54% more for their energy bills this winter “because of these higher energy prices and because we assume a slightly colder winter than last year in much of the United States.”