US White House Economist Larry Kudlow Says Green New Deal to ‘Destroy Economy’

The top White House economic advisor called on conservatives to actively resist what he called the socialist ideas of the Democrats, spearheaded by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council and a former television host, addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, pleading the attendees to "put socialism on trial" and "convict it."

"I don't want us to stand idly by," the former CNBC host said. "I don't want to let this stuff fester. I want it challenged. I want it debated. I want it rebutted. And I want to convict socialism."

Speaking before the conference, Kudlow noted that US economy has grown by 3 percent GDP in 2018, and he connected that growth to President Donald Trump's economic reforms.

"We have to preserve and build on policies and successes," Kudlow said. "In short, we have to keep America great."

Later in his speech, Kudlow expressed his bewilderment at those who, as he puts it, seek to undermine America's greatness by adopting socialist policies.

In particular, Kudlow came down on the more extreme Democrats like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has promoted a set of programs known as the "Green New Deal."

"The Green New Deal would literally destroy the economy. Literally," Kudlow said. "It would knock out energy, transportation, airlines, jobs, businesses. We'd probably lose 10 to 15 percent of our GDP. It's remarkable."

He also slammed other Democrats' "crazy ideas," such as ending private health insurance and providing guaranteed jobs "for even those who don't want to work," a Fox News report says.

Ocasio-Cortez is widely considered to be on the "extremist" side of the Democratic Party. Many of the New Yorker's fellow Democrats, who used to adhere to more conservative policies, have expressed concerns that her radical ideas might frighten away the majority of Democratic voters, and that the entire party may become associated with her approach.

Kudlow's comments were mirrored by other conservatives during the conference.

Former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka likened the Green New Deal to a watermelon: "Green on the outside, deep, deep red communist on the inside."

"The majority of people in this room know that socialism is just stupid," Rick Harrison, the star of the reality television show "Pawn Stars," told the conference. "It's literally like heroin. The first shot is great. For a little bit it's wonderful, but then the rest of your life is a living hell. And that's literally what the socialists are doing."