Kathleen Culliton
September 6, 2024
Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) introduces 2024 Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump during a rally at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on July 27, 2024 in St. Cloud, Minn. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The woman who triggered former President Donald Trump's childcare word salad slammed both the Republican presidential nominee and his running mate for responses she deemed callous and delusional.
Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code and a member of the Economic Club of New York, where the GOP hopeful spoke Thursday, appeared on CNN Friday afternoon to discuss with anchor Jake Tapper Trump's and Sen. J.D. Vance's commentary on a financial crisis hitting parents nationwide.
"What [Trump] told us is that, shocker, 'Expenses are no big deal,'" Saujani said. "The fact that you're drowning in debt because of them? Sorry, but not sorry."
Saujani's comment comes one day after Trump gave a two-minute reply to her child question at the panel discussion in New York City that left political commentators baffled and critics concerned about a possible mental decline.
Washington Post analyst Catherine Rampell complained she couldn't even find a complete sentence.
"Well, I will do that and we're sitting down, you know, I was, uh, somebody, we had Sen. Marco Rubio and my daughter Ivanka were so, uh, impactful on that issue, it's a very important issue, but I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I'm talking about that because childcare is childcare is couldn't, you know, is something you have to have it in this country, you have to have it," Trump told Saujani Thursday.
"But when you talk about those numbers compare to the kind of numbers that I'm talking about by taxing foreign nations at levels that they're not used to but they'll get used to it very quickly and it's not going to stop them from doing business with us but they'll have a very substantial tax when they send product into our country."
Saujani said Friday that all those words masked the lack of a clear policy to address a "huge economic issue" that costs the U.S. more than $100 billion every year and has 40 percent of parents in debt.
"The cost of childcare, as you know, is outpacing the cost of inflation and one in five families are saying like, 'I can't have another kid because I can't afford it,'" she said.
"The fact that President Trump basically said, 'You know, it's not an expense that's noteworthy,' I mean, that's like peak gaslighting."
Saujani was equally unimpressed with Vance's comments Wednesday to far-right activist Charlie Kirk on the same topic, during which he suggested loosening regulations for childcare workers and made a controversial comment.
"Maybe, like, Grandma or Grandpa wants to help out a little bit more," Vance said. "Or maybe there's an aunt or uncle the wants to help out a little bit more."
Saujani told Tapper Vance's comment wasn't policy, but delusion.
"I think that the 'just ask Grandma' part is absolutely a fantasy and not accessible to most Americans," she said. "I want to hear both Vance and Trump talk about what's really happening with child care in America and offer real policies and solutions beyond a 'just ask Grandma' or frankly talking about tariffs that have nothing to do with this."
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