National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett sparked a wave of criticism from prominent Democrats and pundits on the left on Wednesday when he boasted of Americans spending more on their credit cards.

Hassett made the remark while discussing the job market with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. Hassett made the case that unemployment is unlikely to go up because of all the spending in the economy. His remarks, however, were also widely interpreted as a boast about increasing consumer prices – especially at the gas pump.

“ In fact, I had the head of one of the big five banks in my office yesterday going through the credit card data. And just as Secretary [Scott] Bessent said, credit card spending is through the roof. They’re spending more on gasoline, but they’re spending more on everything else, too. And so in terms of the jobs picture for the rest of the year, it’s really hard to see having the unemployment rate go up, for example,” Hassett said as part of a longer answer.

Hassett’s remark was quickly clipped and went viral on social media.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) shared the clip and wrote, “Trump’s chief economist is right: ‘Credit card spending is through the roof.’ Americans are forced to put more of their spending on credit cards because of outrageously high prices. That’s a win for big banks charging 30% interest rates. It’s a disaster for working people.”

Former GOP Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) added, “It’s like this administration is now just trolling MAGA.”

Pod Save America host Jon Favreau added, “We must consider the possibility that Kevin Hassett is secretly working for the Democrats.”

Below are some more reactions:

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