During a mid-August rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris rambled about the “opportunity economy” and giving a subsidy to first-generation homebuyers. Those comments sparked a funny spat on Fox News Channel’s “The Five,” during which Jesse Watters sent Tarlov into a meltdown.
Speaking during the rally at issue, Harris rambled about the “opportunity economy” to the crowd, saying, “As president, I will be laser focused on creating opportunities for the middle class that advance their economic security, stability and dignity. Together, we will build what I call an opportunity economy.”
Continuing, she said, “As president, I will work in partnership with industry to build the housing we need, both to rent and to buy. We will take down barriers and cut red tape, including at the state and local levels. By the end of my first term, we will end America’s housing shortage by building 3 million new homes and rentals that are affordable for the middle class.” She also proposed $25,000 in downpayment assistance for 400,000 first-generation homebuyers, meaning those whose parents aren’t homeowners.
It was that pledge that set off “The Five.” Tarlov introducing the program, rambled about the supposed “return on investment” of the program, telling them, “Money from the government to support them, because they’re going to be better off. And that’s how the ROI on that works.”
She then hand-waved away the matter of prices just being raised, saying, “For instance, the 25,000 for your down payment, I know that people, the landlords, people are trying to sell their apartments, are going to increase the price by $25,000 there as well. She’s acknowledged that, that it’s good for them, and it’s also good for the buyer to be able to be able to get on the property ladder.”
That’s when she blew up at Watters. After bringing up the property ladder matter, she said, “And when she talks about home ownership, which is something that we all aspire to, right, Jesse?”Responding, he told her, “I wasn’t paying attention. What did you just say?” Snapping at him, she said, “You’re really an incredible jerk sometimes.”
Turning from Watters back to the point she was trying to make, Tarlov said, “Anyway, the point of it is that it makes communities safer. It makes public schools better. When people are invested in those communities, and honestly, the gaggle talk that she had yesterday or the day before, I think that people found out a lot more about how she is going to be supporting these policies and what the benefit to the American public is going to be from them.”
That’s when things crashed back to reality on the show, with Tarlov being told that no bank cares about that size of a tax credit, which makes sense given the generally high cost of homes and the drop in the bucket that amounts to. Gutfeld, saying as much, told her, “No bank lender will ever be affected by $25,000 tax credit.” Watch their spat here:
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