‘Oh?’ Jim Cramer Not Buying Trump Official’s Claim ‘We Care’ About Americans Struggling to Buy Food

CNBC anchor Jim Cramer appeared not to buy President Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett’s claim that the administration “care[s] about everybody.”

Hasset joined CNBC on Friday to discuss the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed the economy added 172,000 jobs for the month while unemployment remained steady at 4.3 percent. Cramer called out the National Economic Council Director for appearing to advocate for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates when he claimed that the Fed could “watch the inflation numbers before it does anything about” rising inflation.

“Kevin, I’m a little surprised at you. You sound like you’re part of that group which says we have to have rate hikes, and that’s a little disappointing,” said Cramer. “And I say it’s disappointing because if you’re listening to the Dollar General Call […] you’re going to hear things that are quite different from what you say, which is there’s a group of people in this country, if you listen to the people who make homes and try to sell them, a group of people in this country that are very diengranchies.”

After Hasset claimed he wasn’t advocating for rate hikes, Cramer hit back at the economy chief, calling out his framing that “everybody’s doing well,” giving a skeptical response to Hasset’s defense.

Read their exchange below:

HASSET: This is a supply side jobs number, which means you can have growth and low inflation. And so this is a kind of story that suggests that the Fed shouldn’t hike rates. It shouldn’t at all. And it’ll have room as it watches the numbers to cut rates–

CRAMER: But your term– yours will be used against you because what you’re saying is that everybody’s doing well. There’s a considerable part of the people who are not doing well in this country, and they need the help of the Fed, and I’m surprised that you’re not addressing those people– the people who make less than forty thousand dollars in this country who need help, have seen SNAP benefits decline, who have the higher gasoline prices because of the war with Iran. What about them?

HASSET: Well, obviously, we care about everybody–

CRAMER: Oh?

HASSET: –that’s in the jobs report, and everybody who’s not in the jobs report because they might be looking for a job. […]  Unempoylment rate not going up, then that’s great news for ordinary workers becausse let’s remember, Jim, that when the unemployment rate goes up, it’s the guy at the bottom who loses his job first, right? So these numbers are good across the board for folks–

CRAMER: They’re good for a lot of people. But how about the people who can’t afford a home? We have to worry about them–

HASSET: Well I– and we have policies–

CRAMER: Well, no a lower cut. A rate cut would be terrific for these people. These are people who I’d love to see a rete cut for.

Cramer continued to hammer Hasset on a rate cut for low income Americans, talking over him as Hasset claimed he agreed with Cramer and Trump that the Fed should consider the option.

Watch above via CNBC.

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