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Ahead of Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner urged Americans nervous about the impact on their retirement savings to support the president’s market-ratting trade policies like a “war effort,” prompting critics to lambaste the conservative anchor’s “ridiculous” and “ludicrous” proposition.
“Are we at war?” Daily Beast columnist Julia Davis wondered in response to Faulkner’s remarks.
During Tuesday’s broadcast of Fox News’ midday panel show Outnumbered, Faulkner and former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany discussed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shrugging off questions about whether Trump might be “wrong” on tariffs amid the wild stock market swings.
Noting that Leavitt said the president is “talking about future generations” and how to “balance a future generation and having manufacturing and a current generation very much concerned about 401(k)s,” McEnany called the spokesperson’s response “fascinating” before turning it over to Faulkner.
“I said this earlier — and I wholeheartedly believe — that everything’s going to work out,” the anchor proclaimed.
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Calling the markets a “snapshot,” Faulkner then argued that those relying on their retirement accounts should prepare for the “bumpy road” ahead as it relates to Trump’s trade policies, likening the situation to the sacrifices made by the country during World War II.
“He can read the road ahead and make a deal — Art of the Deal. So part of that deal is to make sure your shareholders — the actual people, not by money, but by vote — understand what’s coming. And those 401(k) people who are depending, those retirees, all of that — just talking plain-speak with them,” she stated.
“Look, when this nation used to go to war, people in this country would support the war effort with their materials at home and making things for weaponry and all of that. We gotta do 100 percent buy-in over this bumpy period,” Faulkner added.
Needless to say, the reaction to Faulkner outside the Fox News bubble was harsh and ruthless, especially regarding her suggestion that retirees should brush off financial pain for the greater cause of Trump’s agenda.
“A millionaire TV personality lecturing ‘401k people’ about the sacrifices they need to make and how things will get ‘bumpy’ so the top tier can suck up more of our money. How dare these people,” journalist Mike Rothschild tweeted.
Jonah Goldberg — the editor-in-chief of the conservative outlet The Dispatch and a former Fox News contributor — said that while he “likes” Faulkner, her “ridiculous argument” was a “fallacy” due to her trying to make a moral equivalence of war.
“We are not at war with our allied trading partners. Not even a little,” he added. “Beyond that, the assumption here is that it is obvious things will dramatically and broadly improve for those 401K owners once we get through ‘the bumpy period.’ Zero evidence for that. Lots of evidence against it. There is no reason to carry water for Trump on this nonsense.”
Liberal activist and author Don Winslow, meanwhile, called Faulkner’s analogy “ludicrous” before claiming that Trump is “crashing the economy.” Progressive commentator Roland Martin added that Faulkner’s remarks were “sheer stupidity” since “we are not AT WAR now.”
Former Chicago Tribune editor Mark Jacob went even further with his criticism of the Fox News anchor.
“Fox propagandist Harris Faulkner says we have to stick with Trump during this ‘bumpy period.’ But Trump created the bumps!” Jacob posted on Bluesky. “It’s a key part of the fascist playbook: Create chaos and offer yourself as the only solution.”
