Liberal Author Shreds Billionaire CNBC Guest: 'I Cannot Believe What I'm Listening To'

Derek Thompson tore apart investor Kyle Bass for arguing in favor of Donald Trump's "thoughtful" tariffs.

Derek Thompson, a writer at The Atlantic, scorched billionaire investor Kyle Bass on Friday for predicting that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will ultimately benefit Americans in the long term.

“I cannot believe what I’m listening to,” said Thompson, who declared that he was getting “brutally honest” with host Kelly Evans on CNBC’s “Power Lunch.”

“I heard your last guest say if the economy shrinks, that’s good. If the stock market goes down, that’s good. If the housing market crashes, that’s good. If there’s a trade war, that’s good. When did the capital class get taken over by degrowther protectionists seeking 19th century autarky?”

Minutes earlier, Bass appeared on “Power Lunch” where he referred to Trump’s recent round of tariffs — which looped in islands uninhabited by humans that are home to penguins and seals — as “thoughtful” and argued that they’ll give the U.S. a “positive foundation for growth.”

He claimed that Trump — who has argued that markets will eventually “boom” despite stocks plummeting since his “Liberation Day” announcement — is trying to reset the “crazy price moves” by Congress and the Fed which caused a “cost of living crisis” for Americans.