On Thursday’s Good Morning America (GMA), the superficial and unserious ABC News program cloaked itself in humor-tinged consumer reporting by using a recent Cookie Monster tweet to talk about the rise of shrinkflation in the current economy, but naturally absolved the Biden administration of responsibility and even eagerly touted the replies of two Democratic senators who happened to be in tough reelection fights.
Worse yet, correspondent Trevor Ault went full partisan hack as he left out the party affiliation of both senators, Sherrod Brown (OH) and Bob Casey (PA).
The GMA co-hosts did their part with not one but two teases. In the first, co-host and former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos quipped: “Turns out, ‘s’ is for shrinkflation. Why Cookie Monster joined the outcry over high grocery prices.”
In the second, co-host Robin Roberts boasted that Cookie Monster now has “Capitol Hill…responding.”
The final member of the trio, Michael Strahan, had the lead-in: “And now to the economy and the outcry over shrinkflation with one Sesame Street character speaking out over high grocery prices.”
Ault began by disarming viewers with some jokes:
We’re hearing from one of the great economic minds of our time, the Cookie Monster, who is venting about paying more for less. And, actually, now, some politicians are weighing in too. We know the cookies are shrinking. Is it corporate greed or is it bad policy? This morning, the Cookie Monster has had enough.
Then came the activism: “His beef with shrinkflation is getting attention on Capitol Hill after he posted: ‘Me hate shrinkflation. Me cookies are getting smaller.’”
Instead of talking about inflation under President Biden and how, say, it paled in comparison to years before or explaining why the cartoonish image of “corporate greed” was such a lazy answer, Ault shacked up with Brown and Casey by touting their replies, sans their party (even though the Cookie Monster account hid Casey’s):
AULT: Senator Sherrod Brown responded, “Me, too. People in my state of Ohio are fed up — they should get all the cookie they pay for.”
COOKIE MONSTER [on Sesame Street, date N/A]: Yum, Mmmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmm.
AULT: Shrinkflation is when companies make the size of their products smaller without cutting prices. A report from Pennsylvania Bob Casey found the size of some Oreo cookies has decreased by six percent since 2019. A family size of Wheat Thins has dropped 12 percent in weight.
Channeling his colleague and chief Biden apple polisher Mary Bruce, Ault gushed that “President Biden recently took aim at shrinkflation, calling it a ripoff,” and played a clip from a February video tweet.
After again playing Casey communications director by proclaiming he “introduced a bill that would give the FTC and state attorneys general authority to crack down on shrinkflation.”
“Even though inflation is down considerably from two years ago, a report…last month was worse than expected, fueling new worries…Republicans argue this is actually the fault of the President and Democrats’s economic policies. You may have noticed some shrinking happening with a lot of other products — cleaning products, coffee, frozen food,” he added in the only passages resembling anything close to an opposing view.
Hours later, President Biden invoked Cookie Monster in a speech about the economy. It’s like this was all coordinated.
To see the relevant ABC transcript from March 5, click “expand.”
ABC’s Good Morning America
March 5, 2024
7:01:45 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: “S” Is for Shrinkflation; Cookie Monster’s Economic Outcry]
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Turns out, “s” is for shrinkflation. Why Cookie Monster joined the outcry over high grocery prices.
(….)
7:17 a.m. Eastern [TEASE]
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New This Morning; Cookie Monster Takes on “Shrinkflation”; “Sesame Street” Character’s Outcry Gets Response from Capitol Hill]
ROBIN ROBERTS: Plus why Cookie Monster is speaking out against shrinkflation and how Capitol Hill is responding.
(….)
7:34 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New This Morning; Cookie Monster Takes on “Shrinkflation”; “Sesame Street” Character’s Outcry Gets Response from Capitol Hill]
MICHAEL STRAHAN: And now to the economy and the outcry over shrinkflation with one Sesame Street character speaking out over high grocery prices. Trevor Ault is here with the details. Good morning, Trevor.
TREVOR AULT: Good morning, Michael. We’re hearing from one of the great economic minds of our time, the Cookie Monster — [STRAHAN LAUGHS] — who is venting about paying more for less. And, actually, now, some politicians are weighing in too. We know the cookies are shrinking. Is it corporate greed or is it bad policy? This morning the Cookie Monster has had enough.
COOKIE MONSTER [on Sesame Street, date N/A]: Chocolate chip cookie important to me too.
AULT: His beef with shrinkflation is getting attention on Capitol Hill after he posted: “Me hate shrinkflation. Me cookies are getting smaller.” Senator Sherrod Brown responded, “Me, too. People in my state of Ohio are fed up — they should get all the cookie they pay for.”
COOKIE MONSTER [on Sesame Street, date N/A]: Yum, Mmmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmm.
AULT: Shrinkflation is when companies make the size of their products smaller without cutting prices. A report from Pennsylvania Bob Casey found the size of some Oreo cookies has decreased by six percent since 2019. A family size of Wheat Thins has dropped 12 percent in weight.
CHARMAIN AD NARRATOR: Try new Charmin Megaroll. It’s four times the sheet in one
AULT: Even some Charmin toilet paper rolls now have 20 fewer sheets. President Biden recently took aim at shrinkflation, calling it a ripoff.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN [on 02/11/24]: Give me a break. The American public is tired of being played for suckers.
AULT: Last week, Senator Casey introduced a bill that would give the FTC and state attorneys general authority to crack down on shrinkflation, even though inflation is down considerably from two years ago, a report on price released last month was worse than expected, fueling new worries on Wall Street. Now, Republicans argue this is actually the fault of the President and Democrats’s economic policies. You may have noticed some shrinking happening with a lot of other products — cleaning products, coffee, frozen food. You know how hard it is to quote Cookie Monster in a serious report? [PANEL LAUGHS]
ROBERTS: You did it so well.
AULT: Thank you.
ROBERTS: What did you refer to him as? The economic —
AULT: One of the great economic minds of our time.
ROBERTS: Ah, yes.
AULT: One of the only people that no Americans hate.
ROBERTS: That’s true.
STRAHAN: Mmm.
AULT: Unifier, Cookie Monster.
ROBERTS: The unifier. As are you, Trevor. As are you. Thank you.