Sarah Matthews, a White House deputy press secretary during Donald Trump’s first term, has accused the president’s second administration of trying to gaslight Americans with its messaging on the economy.
Speaking with MS NOW’s Nicolle Wallace, Matthews took particular aim at Trump’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, after he claimed last week the economy was doing “amazing.”
“Republicans spent years mocking the Biden administration for trying to gaslight the American people and telling them that the economy was great when people were feeling the exact opposite,” she said. “And they clearly learned nothing from this because this is exactly what the Trump administration is doing.”
“They’re trying to gaslight their voters and tell them, ‘Everything’s fine,’ putting Kevin Hassett out there and having him go on the news and say that the economy is amazing. I mean, are you kidding me?” she added.
Matthews, who is now a fierce critic of Trump, argued that former President Joe Biden had to tackle soaring gas prices and broader inflation largely because of factors beyond his control, like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
But by contrast, she suggested, Trump is grappling with economic problems that are largely “self-inflicted,” pointing to his “asinine” tariffs and his “war of choice with Iran.”
People “feel bamboozled,” she said. “They voted for President Trump because he said that he was going to lower prices on day one. He said that he was going to be the peace president. He said he was going to do all these things, and it turns out that he’s done the exact opposite.”
“And so it is just a slap in the face to the people that put him into office and that have supported him for them to continue to try to gaslight them,” she added.
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