Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said young people “can’t afford a house, a decent job, or even gas” while billionaires grow richer, calling their “despair and deep discontent” “impossible to ignore.”
Khanna made the comments in a post on X, sharing a clip from his Tuesday appearance on “Fox & Friends” with host Brian Kilmeade. In the post, he wrote, “I condemn violence and rioting in every form.”
Khanna on Milan, Lisbon and Youth Discontent
Kilmeade opened by asking, “Congressman, what about Milan? What about Lisbon?” Khanna said discontent among young people appears in places such as Albania and Spain and in the U.S., because they say wealth is accumulating “in the hands of a few.” He said there are “989 billionaires, many in my district,” who hold 22% of the economy.
He said young people are telling him, “I can’t get a job. I can’t buy a house,” adding that driving on a date means “it costs over 100 bucks to fill my gas tank.” Khanna said, “I’ll keep condemning them,” referring to the riots, but argued the country must tackle “the fundamental hopelessness that young people have.”
Host Presses on Billionaire Tax
Kilmeade told Khanna that wealthy residents of his district “employ, with Elon Musk alone, over 115,000 people,” adding, “you guys are taxing them away from you.” He also said, “It seems like you want to make it a socialist country. And now you’re saying it’s justifying rioting.”
Khanna replied, “I love this country. I’m grateful for this country. This country allowed me and my family to live the American dream.” He added, “I want this country to work for the kids in Pennsylvania I grew up with, not just for the Silicon Valley billionaires.”
Khanna’s Earlier Posts on Europe Unrest
Khanna’s remarks follow his Sunday posts on X, in which he blamed “massive wealth inequality” for youth protests in France, Spain and Albania and called for “America’s Next New Deal.” In the same series of posts, he pushed back on Vice President JD Vance, who had criticized the unrest in France, saying Vance is “not just morally wrong, but misreading the moment.”
In a follow-up post, Khanna wrote, “I unequivocally condemn violence and vandalism.” The protests in France, which began over rising living costs and declining public services, escalated into riots, with police making 2,400 arrests, according to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
Recent Comments