Why Trump Doesn’t Want ‘A Poor Person’ In His Cabinet

via Twitter

When Donald Trump was inaugurated, he promised it was “the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.” But since taking office, a specific segment of the American people appears to be in charge: the very rich. The first 17 nominees in President Trump’s cabinet are worth a combined $9.5 billion, or about the the same net worth of the 43 million least-wealthy American households combined.

Wednesday night, Trump admitted that for specific positions in his cabinet, he didn’t want poor “thinking.” At the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Trump held a rally reminiscent of the kind he held while running for president. During the rally, he fought back against critics who’ve accused him of creating a cabinet composed only of the filthy rich.

“So somebody says, ‘Why did you appoint a rich person to be in charge of the economy?’ I said, ‘Because that’s the kind of thinking we want,’” Trump told the audience. “But, in those particular positions, I just don’t want a poor person. If you insist, I’ll do it. But I like it better this way.”

Trump’s hiring of the exceptionally rich would be defendable if it weren’t for the fact that his economic policies disproportionately benefit the wealthy. The most recent GOP health care proposal would cause millions to lose their health insurance while the richest Americans enjoy a substantial tax cut. Trump’s child care proposal has been called a “gift to the rich.” And when asked about Trump’s blueprint for tax reform, Alan Cole, an economist with the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation, said there’s “Plenty of benefits to high-income earners...And for the middle class? Honestly, we don’t know.”