White House ridiculed over Thanksgiving political talking points for ‘that Uncle’
This went down like a plate of cold yams.
Republicans and conservatives mocked the White House on Wednesday after several Biden administration mouthpieces tweeted out a list of the president’s so-called “top accomplishments” for his supporters to refer to during fraught political talk around the Thanksgiving table.
The not-so-festive list was shared on Twitter by the 80-year-old president’s chief of staff, Ron Klain and included questionable claims about inflation, gas prices, unemployment and taxes.
“One last item for your Thanksgiving dinner: some talking points when ‘that Uncle’ comes ‘at you’ about @POTUS,” Klain wrote in a tweet when he shared the talking points.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre joined the “fun” hours later, tweeting out the same list with the message: “It’s hard to quit talking politics cold turkey — even at Thanksgiving. Talk to your family from across the aisle, and across your dinner table, with this cheat sheet.”
The very first item on the list proclaims: “Gas prices are down by $1.35/gallon since June and inflation is moderating.”
In June, gas prices spiked to a record high national average of $5.01 per gallon. While that has since dropped to $3.61 per gallon as of Wednesday, according to AAA, it’s still more than 20 cents higher than last year at this time — and $1.22 higher than when Biden took office in January 2021.
Inflation cooled slightly in October, with the Consumer Price Index rising 7.7% annually, down from the 8.2% recorded in September. But spiking food prices to the tune of 10.9% year-over-year in October continue to be a problem, with the Farm Bureau noting that the average cost to prepare a holiday meal for 10 people is more than $64 this year — up $10.74, or 20%, over 2021.
The list also includes nebulous “accomplishments” of Biden’s, saying he “[r]allied the world in defense of Ukraine” and was “[r]ebuilding roads and bridges” — though it noticeably makes no mention of the president’s controversial student loan debt handout.
The very last section on the list slams Republicans in Congress as “extreme,” claiming the party seeks to put Social Security and Medicare “on the chopping block” and implement a “national ban” on abortion.
The talking points were ridiculed on Twitter by many on the right.
“Put this in your pie hole, Ron,” tweeted Jenna Ellis, a onetime lawyer for former President Donald Trump. “The non-binary college freshman majoring in gender studies who needs ‘talking points’ at Thanksgiving maybe isn’t ready for Uncle MAGA, who works 8-5 without complaining, owns property, has raised 4 kids, and voted since before Reagan.”
“My brother in christ [sic], you’re ‘that Uncle,’” Alec Sears, a GOP digital strategist, responded to Klain’s Turkey Day talking points.
Sen. Josh Hawley’s press secretary Abigail Marone tweeted, “Fixed it for you” and shared a photo of a blank list.
“If you need to use Biden WH talking points at a family dinner, you’ve already lost whatever argument you’re in,” the GOP’s deputy national press secretary Will O’Grady said in a tweet.
“Everything about the Biden admin makes sense when you realize it’s being run by the types of people who bring talking points to Thanksgiving dinner to fight with their families about politics,” remarked conservative digital strategist Greg Price.
“A White House account believes that Biden supporters won’t be able to think of anything that Biden has done when talking to relatives,” marveled another Twitter user, Sean the Producer.
“[S]eeking out and scolding the ‘bad uncle’ at thanksgiving [sic] with a laundry list of perceived infractions and personal failures is actually a touching tribute to the holiday’s puritanical roots,” joked Washington Examiner columnist T. Becket Adams, who later followed up with a picture of a Pilgrim’s chapeau and the admonition: “Don’t forget your ceremonial scolding hat!”