CNBC anchor and Mad Money host Jim Cramer is under fire for calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “Crazy Nancy” during an interview on his show early Tuesday morning.
Cramer had Pelosi on to dig into the controversy surrounding stalled negotiations for another stimulus bill to help Americans suffering during the current Coronavirus pandemic when he made the unfortunate mistake of using the nickname President Donald Trump often resorts to when referring to the Speaker of the House. The pair were debating over whether Republicans, taking their cues from Trump, could come to the table with Democrats to get this fourth iteration of the bill finally passed when Cramer threw out the insult.
Stay classy, Jim Cramer.
He just called Nancy Pelosi, “Crazy Nancy” – to her face, during an interview. https://t.co/pzQmCG6Cnb
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) September 15, 2020
“What deal can we have, Crazy Nancy — I’m sorry, that was the president,” Cramer said before quickly following up with an explanation for the name-calling. “I have such reverence for the office, I would never use that term.” Pelosi didn’t let him off that easy though, quipping back “but you just did” before Cramer exasperatedly tried to defend himself, saying, “Come on, you know what I mean.”
The whole interaction is cringe-inducing, mostly because it appears Cramer was trying to joke around with Pelosi by using the moniker Trump often hurls at her on Twitter in order to make a point, but that point fell awkwardly flat, and people were quick to let him know it.
What is worse is his so-called “apology.“ It is nothing but gaslighting. Telling the Speaker that “I would never say that“ immediately after he said it, trying to get her to agree he meant no offense. Toxic misogyny on display.
— GoDogGo not paying for blue check (@GoDogGo1) September 15, 2020
Paraphrasing Cramer…Ya know some people call you Crazy Nancy. I, of course, would never degrade your office by calling you Crazy Nancy, others may call you Crazy Nancy, but certainly, I, Jim Cramer, would never call you Crazy…Nancy.
— Jonathan Schwartz (@jonnyspeech) September 15, 2020
Cramer took to Twitter shortly after the interview aired to explain he was simply trying to make a point that it should be unacceptable for anyone, even the President of the United States, to call a woman in an office as revered as Pelosi, “crazy.”
I challenge anyone to listen to the interview and think i wasn't imitating what the president says and how repulsive i find it.. I said that three times. I apologized for the implication twice. Who put out the quote without the context? what organization?
— Jim Cramer (@jimcramer) September 15, 2020
When you criticize the president by mentioning what he calls the Speaker of the House, you should not be criticized for mentioning the terrible name he calls her. https://t.co/Og90jxvKHr
— Jim Cramer (@jimcramer) September 15, 2020
you know what i love? the president goes unchecked, calls her Crazy forever. I call it as as horrible and i am called out for doing so here. What a travesty…
— Jim Cramer (@jimcramer) September 15, 2020
One could argue the real travesty here is how thrilled Cramer apparently was to call a woman crazy for a few laughs and how terribly unequipped he was to deal with the consequences of his on-air behavior, but we’re hopeful he’ll learn a lesson from all this after getting mercilessly roasted for it.
