White House press secretary Jen Psaki was hit with online mockery and ridicule after she attempted to blame the greed of “meat conglomerates” for the rise in meat prices at grocery stores.
Psaki made the comments at Tuesday’s White House media briefing when a reporter asked her if President Joe Biden agreed with progressive groups who blame “corporate greed” for high inflation.
“I think the president thinks the way people across the country, American families, digest inflation is by price increases. And if you look at industry to industry, it’s a little different,” Psaki responded.
“So for example, the president, and the secretary of agriculture, had both spoken to what we’ve seen as the greed of meat conglomerates. That is an area when when people go to the grocery store and they’re trying to buy a pound of meat, two pounds of meat, ten pounds of meat, uh, it is, the prices are higher. That is, in his view, and the view of the secretary of agriculture, you could call it corporate greed, sure, you could call it jacking up prices, uh, during a pandemic,” she continued.
“There are other areas where we’ve seen increases because of supply chain issues, and we’re seeing those increases around the world, as it relates to gas prices, oil supply and things along those lines,” she added.
“So, I would say there are areas where we have seen corporations benefit, profit, from the pandemic,” Psaki concluded, “and certainly the president would agree with that component, I don’t know the full context of all those remarks.”
Many critics mocked the attempt to blame “the greed of meat conglomerates” for inflation that polls show Americans blame on the high spending policies of the Democrats.
“This is the evil brilliance of the plan, you see. They waited until we had a period of generalized inflation, and then they struck without mercy,” mocked Charles C.W. Cooke of National Review.
“High oil prices? Greedy oil conglomerates. High meat prices? Greedy meat conglomerates. High labor costs? Altruistic labor unions and generous, kindly government,” replied Ben Shapiro.
“This is economically illiterate. You know how one of these ‘greedy’ Big Meat conglomerates could make a lot of money? By undercutting the competition by selling at lower prices. They can’t do that because they can’t afford it. Unless, she’s charging illegal price-fixing,” responded Jonah Goldberg of the Dispatch.
“It’s amazing how this ‘greed of meat conglomerates’ didn’t exist at this level until Joe Biden took office and inflation shot up. Weird coincidence,” tweeted Buck Sexton.
“Open the Strategic Meat Reserves!” joked Jon Gabriel of Ricochet Media.
Also on Tuesday, Psaki said that she didn’t know any American who was actually concerned about the rise in the debt ceiling to accommodate Democratic budgetary spending.