NBC’s Kristen Welker Grills Whitmer on Harris Economic Plan: Is This ‘Any More Than a Gimmick?’

NBC’s Kristen Welker grilled Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) Sunday about a proposal last week from Vice Presidential Kamala Harris to put in place a federal ban on “price gouging.”

Harris unveiled her economic pitch to Americans in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday during remarks in which she accused food producers of fueling inflation. Harris also called on expanded tax credits and down payment assistance for first-time home buyers.

Within hours, Harris’s proposals were met with tough criticism from news outlets including CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. On Friday night, the Post‘s editorial board referred to the vice president’s economic vision as a “disappointment” and laden with “gimmicks.”

On Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press, Welker discussed the Harris plan for the economy and pressed Whitmer as to whether the pushback was legitimate. She also noted many on the right quickly branded Harris an outright communist – including former President Donald Trump.

“Governor, I hear you say folks are reading too much into it and yet it is what the vice president is proposing,” Welker noted. “You have former President Trump calling the policies communist. The Washington Post editorial board called it a gimmick.

Welker asked the governor, “Is this plan to ban price gouging any more than a gimmick, governor?”

Whitmer defended Harris’s plan for the economy:

I think it speaks to Kamala Harris’ values, that she wants consumers to keep more money in their pockets. She wants Americans to get ahead,” Whitmer said. “She wants to make sure there is corporate responsibility. We know we’ve got to have to have business growth in this country, small business growth and big business growth for good-paying jobs. But we also know that you can’t gouge and hurt the American consumer just to pad your bottom line, and I think there’s a balance there, and I think that’s what this is all about.

Welker, not satisfied with Whitmer’s answer, pressed the governor further.

“So you think it’s smart policy, governor?” she asked.

Whitmer responded, “You know what? I think that any effort we make to keep more money in Americans’ pockets is worth walking the path and having the conversations and figuring out how to make this economy work for everybody.”

Welker noted Harris had been accused by Trump’s campaign of behaving like a “chameleon” over a number of reversals on some key policy positions. She asked, “Do you think the vice president has to explain more on why she has shifted on those positions?”

Whitmer answered the question by branding Trump as in the race not only for himself but for the wealthiest of Americans.

“Well, I think any insult from the Trump campaign is laughable when you think about his years in office and who he fought for,” Whitmer fired back. “He fought for himself. He’s laid out nothing in terms of a vision for America. He’s feeding into people’s anxieties and anger. That’s what he’s always done. In fact, during his time in office, we had record job loss.”

Watch above via NBC News.

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