Renowned for his sharp and sometimes controversial commentary, Fox News’s Jesse Watters once again stirred controversy during a heated debate with co-panelist Jessica Tarlov. The discussion, which centered on Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Convention, intensified rapidly, resulting in Tarlov calling Watters “an incredible jerk.”
The conversation started with Tarlov outlining the advantages of Harris’s proposed “opportunity economy,” which features a significant initiative to offer $25,000 to first-time home buyers. Tarlov, “The Five” panel liberal, argued that this policy would not only increase homeownership but also foster community investment, resulting in safer neighborhoods and better public schools. “And when she talks about home ownership, which is something that we all aspire to… Right, Jesse?” asked Tarlov.
Watters, in his typical style, responded with a dismissive remark. “I wasn’t paying attention. What did you just say?” he joked, immediately sparking a reaction from Tarlov who retorted, calling him an “incredible jerk.”
WATCH:
Jessica Tarlov: “When she talks about home ownership, which we all aspire to, right Jesse?”
Jesse Watters: “I wasn’t paying attention. What did you just say?”
Tarlov: “You’re really an incredible jerk sometimes.” pic.twitter.com/KM78vSRHlz
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 19, 2024
The housing plan has been widely panned as one that would only see home sellers adding the $25,000 Harris giveaway to the price of their homes. But also, the rest of her economic agenda, thus far, has drawn widespread condemnation, including from a former Obama official who lashed out at her “price controls” proposal. “This is not sensible policy, and I think the biggest hope is that it ends up being a lot of rhetoric and no reality,” Harvard economist Jason Furman told The New York Times in a report published Friday. “There’s no upside here, and there is some downside.”
On Wednesday, Harris revealed part of her policy platform after weeks of speculation. The plan proposed price controls on grocery chains and their suppliers to combat “corporate price gouging.” [she called it “price gauging] The Biden-Harris Administration has frequently attributed America’s inflation issues to “corporate price gouging,” a concern that has consistently ranked high among American voters.
This path leads to bread lines & ugly shoes https://t.co/fFZGVjWfWJ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2024
Under Harris’ plan, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general would be allowed impose steep penalties on companies if their prices are deemed to be too high. “There’s a big difference between fair pricing in competitive markets and excessive prices unrelated to the costs of doing business,” the Harris campaign said in a statement. “Americans can see that difference in their grocery bills.”
Furman, who was the National Economic Council chair under former President Barack Obama, is not alone in opposing Harris’ proposals; other prominent left-wing voices have also voiced criticism. In an editorial published in the Washington Post, columnist Catherine Rampell framed Harris’ plans as a disaster waiting to happen.
“It’s hard to exaggerate how bad this policy is,” Rampell wrote in an op-ed published on Thursday. “It is, in all but name, a sweeping set of government-enforced price controls across every industry, not only food. Supply and demand would no longer determine prices or profit levels. Far-off Washington bureaucrats would. The FTC would be able to tell, say, a Kroger in Ohio the acceptable price it can charge for milk.”