Chris Cuomo SLAMS Trump for Telling Struggling Families to Cut Back - The Chris Cuomo Project

The Chris Cuomo Project: Episode Summary

Title: Chris Cuomo SLAMS Trump for Telling Struggling Families to Cut Back
Host: Chris Cuomo
Release Date: May 13, 2025

Introduction

In this compelling episode of The Chris Cuomo Project, host Chris Cuomo delves into a controversial statement made by former President Donald Trump, addressing the broader implications for American society and capitalism. Cuomo provides a nuanced analysis, blending personal anecdotes with incisive political commentary to explore themes of economic inequality, corporate responsibility, and the true essence of the American Dream.

President Trump's Controversial Statement

The episode opens with Cuomo referencing a recent statement by President Trump, where he suggested that struggling American families might need to "cut back" on their expenditures. Cuomo summarizes Trump's message, highlighting the president's implied call for "shared sacrifice" among the populace:

"Maybe you can do with a little less. Maybe it's time for a little shared sacrifice. Maybe you don't need to have as much as you want to be happy. And America, that's his point, right?"
[00:00]

Cuomo’s Immediate Reaction

Cuomo acknowledges the sentiment behind Trump's message but criticizes its misguided target. He argues that while the idea of reducing consumption has merit, the directive should not be aimed at the majority struggling financially but rather at the affluent minority:

"I see this a completely different way. He said the right thing, but he said it to the wrong person."
[00:59]

Capitalism and Economic Inequality

Cuomo transitions into a broader critique of capitalism in modern America, focusing on the widening gap between the wealthy and the average worker. He questions the sustainability of a system where the few amass exorbitant wealth while the majority grapple with debt and financial instability:

"If we allow the few to have as much as possible, even if that compromises the ability of the many to have enough, why is that okay?"
[06:45]

He further examines the role of corporate policies and tax laws that favor the wealthy, perpetuating income inequality:

"We have a system that rewards the few at the expense of the many. And I don't know why that's okay as capitalism, and any adjustment to it is anathema."
[07:30]

The Corporate Class and Tax Policy

Cuomo identifies the "corporate class" as a pivotal factor in sustaining economic disparities. He explains how tax policies are often skewed to benefit top earners and corporate entities, leaving the middle and lower classes with diminished economic prospects:

"I'm going to get there. So I don't want you to reduce the value of it, because I want to get there. You're killing my aspiration."
[04:45]

Cuomo critiques the notion that capitalism inherently supports broad-based prosperity, arguing instead that it has been manipulated to concentrate wealth:

"Capitalism without responsibility is mere greed. And that's what we have become ruled by."
[08:20]

Impact on the American Middle Class

The discussion shifts to the plight of the American middle class, emphasizing how policies and economic practices have eroded their financial security. Cuomo draws historical parallels, comparing today's economic landscape with that of the 1960s when CEO salaries and worker wages were more balanced:

"Look at the graph in the 60s and look at it today. That's what changed. There was a rebalancing of who wins and how much."
[08:00]

He laments the loss of the "good old days" where a single job could sufficiently support a family, contrasting it with the current reality where many are burdened by debt and financial instability.

The Role of Consumer Responsibility

Cuomo also touches upon consumer behavior and the societal pressures to accumulate wealth and possessions. He questions why societal messages about reducing consumption are not directed towards the affluent who have the capacity to make a significant impact by curbing their excesses:

"Why do you have to have so much? He should not be asking that to the many. He should be asking it of the few."
[05:10]

Conclusion and Call to Action

In his concluding remarks, Cuomo stresses the importance of shifting the conversation from divisive cultural issues to addressing economic inequalities that affect the majority. He calls for a reevaluation of capitalist principles to ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth and responsibility:

"This is the signature issue of our time. And I'm not saying that America's got to go socialist. That's not what I'm saying. Explain to me how we went from where we were in the 60s to now."
[09:30]

Cuomo encourages listeners to engage in meaningful discussions about economic reform and to advocate for policies that prioritize the well-being of the many over the few.

Key Takeaways

Misguided Messages: While advocating for reduced consumption can be beneficial, targeting struggling families instead of the wealthy perpetuates economic disparities.
Economic Inequality: The current capitalist system disproportionately rewards the few, exacerbating income inequality and undermining the middle class.
Corporate Responsibility: Tax policies and corporate practices need reform to ensure a fairer distribution of wealth and opportunities.
Consumer Behavior: Encouraging the affluent to curtail excesses can have a more substantial impact on reducing overall economic inequality.
Focus on Core Issues: Addressing economic inequalities should take precedence over divisive cultural debates to foster a more unified and prosperous society.

Final Thoughts

Chris Cuomo's incisive analysis in this episode challenges listeners to rethink conventional capitalist narratives and consider the broader social responsibilities that come with wealth and power. By highlighting the structural issues within the economic system, Cuomo advocates for a more equitable approach that benefits the majority while still valuing individual aspirations.

For more in-depth discussions and insights, subscribe to The Chris Cuomo Project and join the conversation on News Nation, where right and left come together to find reasonable solutions to pressing issues.

Transcript

A (0:00)

President Trump just said the smartest thing he's ever said, but he said it to the wrong person. What am I talking about? I'll tell you. Chris Cuomo here. Welcome to the Chris Cuomo Project. So the President said it, and then it was echoed by his top money guy, Scott Besant. What did he say? Here it is. Somebody said, oh, the shelves are going to be open. Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally. What was his point? The American President is saying, hey, maybe you can do with a little less. Maybe it's time for a little shared sacrifice. Maybe you don't need to have as much as you want to be happy. And America, that's his point, right? Resonates with some people. And then Scott Besant said this, this.

B (1:01)

Reporter behind me was quite snarky the other day when President Trump talked about the girl having two dolls. And he said, well, what? President didn't take the question, but he said, what would you tell that girl? I said, I would tell that young girl that you will have a better life than your parents, that you and your family, thanks to President Trump, can now be confident again that you will have a better life than your parents, which working class Americans had abandoned that idea. Your family will own a home. You will be able to advance. You will have a good education. You will have economic freedom. That's what we are advancing.

A (1:40)

Same point, right? You don't have to have 10 dolls. Maybe you have one nice one. You know who used to say that? My Italian relatives. Buy one good jacket. You don't have to have three or four. You just keep wearing the one good one. Why? Quality over quantity. But you know where that doesn't really go? America. You know what goes in America? Whatever the you want it to be. That's what it is. Here. You want 10 jackets, make the money, buy them. You want cheap shit, great. You want expensive shit, great, great. Your choice. You do you. That's the American experience. That's the American experiment. That's the American dream. And that's why it pisses off and reeks of privilege to so many. To hear Donald Trump say, maybe a kid can have just two dolls, not 20, while his kid is playing with like golden golf balls. Right? That's the disconnect. Now, I see this a completely different way. I'm saying he said the right thing, but he said it to the wrong person. Okay, I get the idea that he's playing with which is, well, who says that this is the way it has to be, that an American with 50 grand in credit card debt has to have two cars? Okay, I get it. But let's shift the focus. Why does the American have 50 grand in credit card debt? Why? I'll tell you why. Because we have allowed. It's not a must, okay? It's not a must. It's not a natural right. It's not a God given right, if there is such a thing, if you believe in God. But it is a choice that we have allowed. That some people don't get to make as much as other people, okay? And this is not just about what the market will bear. So President Trump should be saying, hey, maybe you don't need so many dolls, but not to the working man and women, not to the majority, but to the minority, to the super wealthy. Maybe you don't need to make $345 for every $1 that that somebody else makes. That's who you say that to. Not to the people who are just making it, but to the people who can't even count what they have. Maybe you don't need 10 vintage Porsches. Maybe you don't need your own plane. Maybe you don't need four homes. Maybe you don't have to take time and call someone else to figure out how many accounts you have at a brokerage firm. That's what he should be saying. Now let's talk about why he's saying it the way he is. Why is it that even I, sitting here raised by a pathologically modest man. Mario Cuomo didn't like money. He was raised in a generation that it made sense to him that you shouldn't lend money for a big vig. It's just how he was. If you needed money, he'd give it to you. If he had it, he didn't want to talk about a loan. If you paid it back, you gave it back. But you didn't want it. Don't talk about it. There was something bothersome to him about it. If you wanted him to speak somewhere, ask him, do not offer him money. It almost guaranteed that he'd be like, I don't know. That's just the way he was. It's the way he was raised. You could say it was Catholic. You could say it was being a Depression baby. I don't know what it was. I don't know. But that's how he was. Okay? Everything that you wanted to buy cost too much. Everything. You don't need it. You don't need it. You don't need it. You don't need it. What is this? How much? For what? You don't need it. Move to Queens. Go live in Queens. It's much better there. No, I want to be here. I want to have. What do you need that for? I don't know. Maybe it was because he was scared. Maybe it was immigrant mentality. I don't know. But that's how he was. Okay, So I get it. I get it. The idea of maybe you don't need to do with so much. Maybe you should put more money away, maybe you should save more. I was raised by that guy, okay? My mother is that way today. 93 years old. How much is that? Why? What is that? Hang on. Let's only buy two. Just get two avocados. You don't need that. They're that well. Mom, making guacamole? No, it's okay. How much do you need to eat? Okay, I get the mentality. It raised me, okay? Somehow it skipped a generation because my, My kids, my. My family, they don't give a. They're, like, afraid of no price tag. They have no sticker shock. It's impossible. Here's my point. Why is it bothersome to tell people how much they can have on the top end, but not in the majority? Why did Donald Trump feel so comfortable, so nonchalant, so casual with the suggestion that maybe the working man and woman, you know, doesn't have to do so much for their kids? Do less, buy more, buy American, pay more, have less, we can do it with less. That's patriotism. And why is it somewhat offensive when I say, well, maybe you don't need three Porsches? This is something that's uniquely American, and I have seen it when it comes to tax policy, when you tell people that they're given tax cuts to the top, even if they are in a part that's going to get less or even no tax cut because of it, you would be surprised how many people are in favor of the tax cut because aspirationally, they think they're going to be there someday. Hopefully they're right. If that's what they want. Well, I'm going to be in that bracket someday. So I don't want you to reduce the value of it, because I want to get there. You're killing my aspiration. So maybe that is the psychology behind what the President is saying and why it's acceptable. But what I thought was remarkable was how much pushback he got to that statement and how besant Got pushback that hey, hey, maybe things are starting to change in America. Maybe the many are starting to realize that they have more in common than the politics of division have led them to believe for the last 20 years. Where instead of dividing over issues that only affect the few or shouldn't really be political at all, like whether the woman gets to control her body or not, or trans athletes or making cakes for gay couples or all these other discrete niche issues. Niche issues. And maybe we're starting to refocus on common concerns that affect the collective. The many over the few. Remember, culture wars only work for the parties. They are distraction from dealing with these bigger issues. Let's get em fighting about this shit so they'll side with one of us even if our policies are against their interests. Why do you think it's so frustrating for black Americans that they keep voting with one party all the time, but it doesn't seem like they get much out of it? Yeah, but the others are racist. All right, so if that's the dividing line, I'll go with the non racist. Even if the policies don't wind up inuring to your benefit. It's interesting, right? Psychology and politics is huge. 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So Trump defaults to saying, well, maybe you who are worried about how much things are going to cost should buy less. But he does not intuitively apply that restriction, that restraint, that regulation on the rich. Why? Think about it and don't dismiss it with something trivial and pejorative. Well, it's because he's a rich guy and he just wants people like him to have as much as they want. All right, maybe, maybe. But maybe it's something else because again, I've seen this before with tax policy. I've seen middle class people and again, I hate middle class, but I don't know what to do. It's, I feel the same way about other demographic things that we talk about where I'm like, oh, it's so demeaning to come, but that's the way. That's the phrase we use. I don't know what to tell you. I've seen it with tax policy where the middle class are in favor of tax cuts for the top because they want to be there someday. Not, not everybody. But I've seen it many times. I remember once sitting next to somebody and saying, well, who doesn't want a tax cut? Everybody wants to pay less taxes. And this co anchor I had was well off, said, well, I'm okay paying more taxes, but that's a pretty, that's a pretty elite pro, you know, feeling, right, that I'm okay paying more tax. Nobody wants to pay more taxes. Two reasons. One, you want your money and two, you don't trust what the government is doing with it. The second one, I think matters more than the first, frankly, in terms of a virtue. So let's examine this. This is really important. Why is it okay? Because this is what I think needs to change. This is the thing. This is it. This is it, the sine qua non, that without this nothing, we have to shift the idea of doing less from the many to the few. The Billionaires, the corporate class, are the ones who need to do with less, not the majority. If the majority gets more because the few at the top get less, I'm okay with that. Trade more so than the trade we're making right now, which is that the many have less so that the few can have more. If it's okay for us to make that bet in the name of capitalism, why is it not okay to make the other bet? Why? Explain it to me as someone who worked in finance after studying economics at an Ivy League institution. Why is it capitalism to allow the few to have as much as possible, even if that compromises the ability of the many to have enough? That's capitalism. But it is not capitalism to have the few make less so the many can have more. That's socialism. Really? Huh. I guess it would make sense if the few were not benefiting at the expense of the many. That's the missing piece in the puzzle. Is that the corporate class? And why do I keep calling them that? Here's why. Maybe it's self serving. I am rich. I am at the top tax bracket. But I am an employee. I get paid an income, a salary. I don't make money off shares of deals that get taxed differently and carried forward and hidden and flipped and rolled into and all these other clever devices that apply to the few and not the many. That's what I mean by corporate class. I understand that when they say we may have to tax the top more to allow for a real middle class tax cut for the majority, a tax cut for the majority, that means me. And if that's where it goes, if that's where it. What it does, I get it. I get it. I get it. I'm blessed. I'll still be blessed. I'll still be doing better than most. Okay, I get it. That's different than what I'm talking about here. We have a system that rewards the few at the expense of the many. And I don't know why that's okay as capitalism and any adjustment to it is anathema. Capitalism. And here's why. Show the graph of the 60s between CEO salaries and workers. Okay. We had this same complaint then, all right? Right. Archie Bunker sang that song at the beginning of all in the family. Mr. We could use a man like Hoy. But Hoover again didn't need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight. What were they singing about this? That in the good old days you were allowed on one job to raise a family. So what fucking changed? What changed? Look at the graph in the 60s and look at it today. That's what changed. There was a rebalancing of who wins and how much. Why? Because choices were made that benefited the few over the many. It wasn't socialism to capitalism. It was always capitalism. Support comes from soul. Seoul is a wellness brand. What does that mean? They think about what goes into what they make and they believe feeling good should be fun, easy and safe. SOL specializes in delicious hemp derived THC and CBD products designed to boost your mood and help you unwind. 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We all put too much stuff online and someone's going to take it, someone's going to steal it, someone's going to hack you, someone's going to take your stuff. But here's the good news. While it is easier than ever for people to find your information, take it and use it. Right address, phone number, families, names, all that kind of stuff. Guess what else is easier? Protecting yourself. With Delete Me, you can protect your personal privacy or the privacy of your business business from doxing attacks before sensitive information can be exploited. All right. This is something I worry about all the time. What am I going to do to keep people from outing where I live and what my kids are doing? Really, it's more about them. And Delete Me helps me take care of my family. To take control of your data, keep your private life private. By signing up for Deleteme now at a special discount from my listeners, you're going to get 20% off your delete Me plan when you go in to join DeleteMe.com, use the promo code CUOMO at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com and enter the code Cuomo at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com code Cuomo. Capitalism without responsibility is mere greed. And that's what we have become ruled by. And I am not Bernie Sanders or aoc. I do not believe the government should give you a living wage and just dole out all the money that we should have all the rich pay 99 and it just gets given to everybody else. That is not what I'm saying. I'm saying that we have created an uneven playing field. We allowed these people after China got into the WTO 2001 to leave, go to a place where they pay their people nothing because they don't care about their people and there's no regulation. They don't give a shit about the environment. They don't care about anything but more. Right. Not that that makes them that different from us. And they then sold all the they were making there back to us. And it's not just sneakers. It's not just T shirts. It's expensive things. It's cars, it's software, it's hardware, it's devices. It's things we need. It's things you've got to be smart to make and design. Those jobs don't belong somewhere else if you're going to be selling all the shit to us. Not if the companies are not from that country. If you're from here and you go there and then sell it back here and don't make it with your own people, I don't know that it has to be that way. And if you are from somewhere else and make it with your own people but want to sell it here, well, then why don't we get to create the rules? This is the signature issue of our generation, and the President is hovering right above it. His problem is that he doesn't know what to do about it because he's not a strategist and a tactician and a manager. That's why his businesses have failed so many times over. He's a salesman and he understands where people are and he's a good communicator of grievance. But he's hovering right over the issue. Why does it have to be that some have nine Ferraris and we're being told that you don't need nine pairs of cheap sneakers, only get two? Why aren't you delivering that message to them? Because what would happen then? What is the virtue of what he's asking people to do? Well, you're going to stop buying less from them. Okay. And we're going to buy more stuff from the people who make it here, right? Yeah. Okay. All right. So who are we benefiting? Oh, the people who make it here. Oh, so we're still benefiting the corporate class, Right. It's just where we're sending our money. Why? Why not make it where the people who are making the things give more of the money making it to the people who are actually making the stuff? Why? Why can't you be worth 50 million instead of 150 million? Why? Why is it capitalism for you to be worth 150 million and me have 50 grand in debt while I'm working for you, making you the 150 million? But it is not capitalism and wrong for me to have only 1,500 in debt and savings and you'll be worth 50 million. Why is that anathema to capitalism? But the other way is just fine. Capitalism without any responsibility to the people making you money and the whole is just greed. There's a reason Jesus spoke against it, okay? There's a reason it was inculcated as a value. Trump is right over it. He's just suggesting the right thing to the wrong person. It is not to be said to you, who is struggling, who has two paychecks or one medical emergency from being in a crisis, that you need to find a way to do it a little bit less. It'll be better for all of us. Tell the top how can it be in America that the fastest growing socioeconomic group is billionaires? How, when more and more people are going underwater with debt, how is that okay? How is that what we want America to be about? Look, this is the signature issue of our time. And I'm not saying that America's got to go socialist. That's not what I'm saying. Explain to me how we went from where we were in the 60s to now. We picked winners and losers. That's what we did. So why can't we just choose differently without it being anathema to our economic system? If you want access to the American consumer market, and you do, why shouldn't you have to give to get? And what are the answers? What? I don't know. But this is the discussion to have. I leave the answers and the expertise to the comics on podcasts because they seem to know everything. So you should follow them and believe as they do because they saw another podcast where they got their idea. I don't know. I don't know what the answers are, but I know what the right questions are. And this is the issue. How we share benefit and burden in our economy. That is the signature issue and Trump is hovering right over it. He was right to say more. Things that are of value to the American people should be made in America and people should be used here to make things that are being sold by American companies all over the world, that they should have more of a responsibility to this country. I do not think that that is wrong. I think everything about it is right. How much? In what ways? What is tariffs? What is taxation? What is regulation? I don't know. That is for the people who want to lead to debate, and we should be talking about that. Not chicks with dicks, not transgender athletes, not reproductive rights, not baking cakes, not, you know, who's a bad hom. All these other fringe, divisive issues. They are all distractions because these guys want to get elected and keep power without having to deal with this. This is the issue. This is what affects the most. This is what affects the many in the most ways. The president asked the right question. He just asked it to the wrong person. It was the right suggestion. But to the wrong person, why do you have to have so much? He should not be asking that to the many. He should be asking it of the few. I'm Chris Cuomo. Thank you very much for joining me on the Chris Cuomo Project. What do you think about what I'm talking about? Give me your questions and comments. I'm doing this job reporting to you, but also for you. So I want to be of value. Let me know how I can do that. Thank you for checking out the substack. I'm going to be having interviews there with people. If you subscribe, you can comment and get feedback from them and access to them and me. All right. And of course, News Nation, thank you for giving us a chance. It's where right and left come to be reasonable. And I'll see you there at 8p and 11p every weekday night. My friends, brothers and sisters, the problems are real. So let's get after it. Sa.