Fox News contributor on 6.6 million new unemployment claims: “Are any of these numbers even meaningful?”
Maria Bartiromo: “You believe it's going to be temporary and we're going to see a big snapback here, and that's why you're not putting too much into these numbers”
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From the April 2, 2020, edition of Fox Business' Mornings with Maria Bartiromo:
LIZ PEEK (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): Well, I think by comparison the highest number we've ever seen in the history of the country other than last week was under 700,000. So this is unprecedented.
But Maria, everything that's happening is unprecedented. And when you just think about all the restaurants that have closed across the country, all the movie theaters, all the big volume stores that are not essential businesses, it's not surprising to see a number like this, but certainly the estimates were more like five million, something like that. But I think the question really is, are any of these numbers even meaningful? I mean, we are all looking at trying to put limits around and trying to estimate the damage done by this downturn. I think it's almost impossible to do that at this point.
DAGEN MCDOWELL (FOX BUSINESS ANCHOR): They're meaningful because they're people.
PEEK: Oh, for sure.
...
MARIA BARTIROMO (HOST): I understand, I think, what Liz was referring to when she says these numbers don't matter. That's exactly what Steven Mnuchin said, the Treasury secretary, the other day. And I think Liz, what you mean is, is that this is going to be temporary. You believe it's going to be temporary and we're going to see a big snapback here, and that's why you're not putting too much into these numbers. Do I have that right, Liz?
PEEK: Absolutely. And of course Dagen's right, the human toll here is gigantic.