President Donald Trump’s prime financial adviser Kevin Hassett drew criticism on-line this weekend after boasting of a paltry decrease in the price of turkey this Thanksgiving as proof of Trump’s power in dealing with the economic system.
Hassett, who chairs the White Home Nationwide Financial Council, prompt that his household’s Thanksgiving meal was extra plentiful than ever this yr attributable to a financial savings of 19 cents.
“Turkey costs have been down 19 cents,” he mentioned in an look on “Fox & Friends Weekend” Sunday. “I purchased two completely different ones as a result of another present was criticizing me as a result of I mentioned, ‘Oh, generic turkeys are fairly good.’ So I made two this time and I didn’t actually discover the distinction. So purchase the cheaper turkey subsequent yr, of us. However you may get the flamboyant one in order for you, too.”
Not surprisingly, Hassett’s remarks have been extensively mocked and debated on social media.
“One individual’s grocery receipt isn’t financial information. Nationwide meals inflation requires broader metrics than a pattern dimension of two turkeys,” one individual wrote on X.
Added another: “‘I purchased 2 turkeys!!’ shouldn’t be an incredible response to ‘People can’t afford to eat.’”
It’s unclear the place Hassett had obtained the 19-cent statistic, or whether or not he was referring to the whole value of the turkey itself versus the worth per pound. Nevertheless, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Client Worth Index lately discovered that food-at-home costs increased by 2.7% from September 2024 to September 2025.
His feedback additionally adopted a contentious interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl final month through which he defended Trump’s debunked claim that the general value of Thanksgiving dinner this yr was lower than it was beneath former President Joe Biden.
“You need us to repair the outlet that Joe Biden prompted straight away,” he mentioned. “The costs went up a lot beneath Joe Biden, and inflation is manner down.”
Hassett — who in 2024 had belongings value at the least $7.6 million, according to Bloomberg ― is reportedly Trump’s prime decide for the following Federal Reserve chair.
The president lately deemed sitting Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell a “numbskull” for not reducing rates of interest rapidly sufficient, whereas Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned there was “an excellent probability” Trump will announce an appointee earlier than Christmas.
