As GOP presidential candidate and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina appeared as a guest on Wednesday's New Day, CNN co-host Chris Cuomo pressed Fiorina over her wealth and her criticisms of President Obama's handling of the ISIS threat.
After bringing up the former CEO's $59 million net worth, Cuomo made it sound as if he were speaking for 98 percent of Americans as he suggested that they would see her as "the problem" rather than "the solution."
By contrast, when he noted the point of view that her success should be considered an asset, the CNN host made sure to associate this point of view with someone he and other CNN hosts clearly hold a negative view of in the form of newly announced presidential candidate Donald Trump. Cuomo:
Now, that will be looked at one of two ways. One, the way Trump looks at it: Wow, that's amazing. You've been incredibly successful, you did good things at HP, you had differences of opinion about how to run the company, you wind up leaving, but, wow, you've made a lot of money.
But, to about 98 percent of the country, you represent this class that you point to yourself as a potential distraction to success in America where overwhelming wealth dominates the economic landscape for everybody else. How are you the solution and not the problem?
A bit earlier, Cuomo and Fiorina sparred over whether the Obama administration has denied specific items of assistance requested by some of the Arab countries battling ISIS.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Wednesday, June 17 New Day on CNN:
CARLY FIORINA: We know, for example, that our Arab allies have asked us for all kinds of very specific support to help them fight ISIS. We haven't provided any of that support.
(...)CHRIS CUOMO: The problem is clear. The solution is not as clear, and, not to cherry pick each one of these things, but obviously you can't say that the U.S. hasn't given what Arab partners want. Nobody has put more money in it. Nobody has given more supplies.
FIORINA: Actually, I can say the Egyptians want-
CUOMO: It's not accurate, though.
FIORINA: Actually, it is accurate.
CUOMO: Who's given more in assets and in money and in time than the U.S.?
FIORINA: I'm making a different point.
CUOMO: Oh, would you?
FIORINA: The Jordanians have asked us to provide them with bombs and materiel to fight ISIS. We have not. The Kurds have asked us to arm them for three years. We have not. The Egyptians have asked us to
share intelligence. We are not. There are a whole series of Arab allies -- the Saudis, the Qataris, the Emiratis, the Jordanians, the Kurds -- who have asked us for very specific support in this fight against ISIS. We have not provided it. I would hold a Camp David summit and ask every single one of those allies: What can we do to support you? They know this is their fight.
CUOMO: You don't think that the U.S. has been asking its allies what they want and providing things?
FIORINA; I do not. I think that's factually not accurate. There are a whole set of things that our Arab allies have asked us for that we have not provided them.
CUOMO: There may be things they still want, but the idea that the U.S. hasn't given anything is a little bit of a distraction.
FIORINA: Of course the U.S. has given much but not enough to help our Arab allies defeat ISIS.
(...)
[Cuomo asks Fiorina her net worth, which she estimates to be $59 million]
CUOMO: Now, that will be looked at one of two ways. One, the way Trump looks at it: Wow, that's amazing. You've been incredibly successful, you did good things at HP, you had differences of opinion about how to run the company, you wind up leaving, but, wow, you've made a lot of money.
But, to about 98 percent of the country, you represent this class that you point to yourself as a potential distraction to success in America where overwhelming wealth dominates the economic landscape for everybody else. How are you the solution and not the problem?
[CARLY FIORINA]Crony capitalism is a great phrase. How do you change -- and should you change, by the way, is the better question -- the CEO making, you know, exponentially times what the regular worker makes? Is that something that should be addressed?
