‘That Is A Scary Number!’ CNN Analyst Rebuts Trump Rant About Dolls With Alarming Data Point

CNN Senior Political Analyst Mark Preston refuted President Donald Trump’s messaging to consumers with a “scary” data point from a recent CNN poll.

One of the many memorable moments to come out of Trump’s lengthy cabinet meeting was a sound bite in which he waved away the effects of tariffs on consumers.

“Somebody said, ‘Oh, the shelves are going to be open.’ Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more,” Trump said.

On Thursday’s edition of CNN News Central, anchor Sara Sidner asked Preston how he thinks that message will go over with American consumers. Preston pointed to the whopping 69 percent of Americans who believe a Trump recession is coming —a “scary number”:

SIDNER: Yes, we’ve heard the president this week suggesting that Americans may need to change their spending habits because of his tariff war. I mean, is that a message that’s going to go over well from the White House?

PRESTON: These are comments you don’t necessarily want to see from the president of the United States. Let’s just show what the comments are because I can’t even set it up any better than he just did today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Somebody said, Oh, the shelves are going to be open. Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: OK, level set again. Nearly seven in 10 Americans, according to our new CNN poll, thinks that we are headed for a recession. That is a scary number!

You have the president right there talk about consumerism and how we are too reliant on cheap goods.

He’s probably correct about that. But the reality is we are relying on cheap goods, and there are a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck that need those cheap goods — Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, generally, people are angry about the economy, not because they can’t afford 30 dolls for their kids. It’s because they can’t afford food on the table or rent. Mark Preston it is always a pleasure.

Watch above via CNN News Central.