As U.S. stock markets faced a severe downturn on Monday, news broke that Gene Sperling, senior economic adviser to President Joe Biden, is leaving the White House. Sperling is set to join Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign following Biden’s decision to forgo re-election and Harris clinching the Democratic nomination.
The announcement of Sperling’s exit came amidst a significant drop in major stock indexes like the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq, which The Wall Street Journal described as a “global selloff.” The timing has not gone unnoticed, drawing reactions across social media.
“Heck of a day for Biden’s economic advisor Gene Sperling to leave,” noted Charlie Spiering, senior political reporter for The Daily Mail, on X.
“REMINDER: SS Kamalanomics is a sinking ship,” quipped conservative commentator Steve Guest. Students for Trump co-chair Ryan Fournier added, “Great timing bud,” with a facepalming emoji, while social media influencer Rogan O’Handley, known as “DC Draino,” compared the situation to “rats fleeing a sinking ship.”
Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele responded with a “Flushed Face” emoji, and comedian Tim Young remarked, “So if you like how s***ty the economy is now… you’re definitely getting another 4 years of it if she gets elected.”
President Biden released a statement praising Sperling’s efforts, highlighting the successes of the American Rescue Plan, protection of union pensions, federal investments in public safety, and support for small businesses.
The Republican National Committee’s “Research” account on X shared a video of Harris discussing “Bidenomics,” tagging it with “KamalaCrash.” In the video, Harris declared, “All that, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else — that is called Bidenomics,” followed by applause. She added, “That is called Bidenomics — and we are very proud of Bidenomics!”
