MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle criticized Amazon’s new headquarters decision, asking why the trillion dollar company chose a part of Virginia near Washington, D.C. and New York City when so many other major cities have ample space for such a facility and a higher need for local economic opportunities.
“This thing was a beauty pageant. [Amazon] asked 22 states to put their lipstick on, get beautiful, thin it out, and give them mountains of data for each city,” Ruhle said of Amazon’s decision making process. “They didn’t need to do that if they were going to choose the two hottest girls in school.”
Ruhle’s guest, Recode co-founder and editor-at-large Kara Swisher, described Virginia and New York’s $2 billion offer to Amazon as a “tax break from a company that’s essentially a trillion dollar company owned by the world’s richest man.”
“It’s attracted a lot of negative attention, this decision,” she added.
Ruhle then read a tweet from newly elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents a New York district that includes parts of Bronx and Queens, slamming the Amazon decision.
“New York didn’t need this, and what it’s going to do to our housing — behind where they’re going to do this in Long Island’s city, you’ve got neighborhoods like Sunnyside, one
Ruhle closed the segment with a simple message to the world’s richest man: “Jeff Bezos could always turn down the tax breaks, he could say no problem.”
“He could, yeah, sure, why not, Stephanie, and Donald Trump could not tweet crazy things in anger,” Swisher joked. “But whatever, sure.”
“So, you’re saying there’s a chance,” Ruhle replied.
Watch above, via MSNBC.
[image via screengrab]
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