Obama told the former Greek finance minister that 'austerity sucks'

Obama
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"Austerity sucks," quoth Obama.

The president blurted this gem while speaking to the former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, who didn't have a whole lot of experience under his belt before taking office in the midst of the worst debt crisis the EU has ever seen. Having previously worked only as an academic, a blogger, a race car driver, and as the white, Greek head of his university's Black Students' Alliance, The New Yorker reports that Varoufakis received a couple of sorely needed words of encouragement from Obama during a Greek Independence Day celebration at the White House.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.