Larry Kudlow, director of President Donald Trump's National Economic Council, got into hot water on Fox News Thursday, when he tried to change the subject from the impact of the shutdown to the jobs report.
Host Sandra Smith noted that Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Kevin Hassett had suggested that the shutdown could lead to zero economic growth this quarter, and asked Kudlow, "is it that bad?"
Kudlow answered with a word salad. He boasted that initial unemployment claims are the lowest since 1969. He predicted the economy would eventually "beat 3% economic growth." He claimed the president's tax cuts were working, despite evidence to the contrary.
"The rest of it to be honest with you, I'm not shirking your question," he added. "Some of these numbers are just going to be glitches. They'll be anomalies."
"Suggesting the impact of the shutdown, is that what you're saying?" replied a clearly skeptical Smith. "Can you quantify that at all, what you are seeing is or eventually will be the effect of the shutdown on the economy?"
"We'll be building plenty of energy pipelines, automobiles, blue collar workers. Let me go back to jobs," Kudlow responded, as Smith tried to get a word in edgewise.
"There is no doubt that's strong, jobless claims, it's a 49-year low, Larry. Got it, point taken," she said impatiently. "Beyond Hassett's comments, you have recently said that you expect GDP will snap back after the shutdown ends. So snap back from what? That suggests it's taken a hit."
Watch the video below.
