Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Labor, fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, said in a radio interview after the 2012 election that result showed that many people think they are "entitled to free stuff."
"I think this last election was in some respects, not all respects, but in some respects, a testament to the fact that there are a lot of people out there that want free stuff, and they think they're entitled to free stuff," Puzder said on the Mark Larson Show in December 2012.
Puzder, who runs who heads fast-food corporation CKE Restaurants, added that he wasn't saying the government shouldn't help those who truly need it.
"The government, society should take care of the people that can't take care of themselves," he said. "The question there is, what should you do for people who can take care of themselves. The answer can't be that we give them stuff, because that's not what makes you a happy and fulfilled person."
A Trump administration spokesperson didn't respond to a request for comment. Puzder is scheduled to appear for his confirmation hearing next week. If confirmed as secretary of labor, Puzder would oversee workplace protections and wage regulations.
In a 2011 speech unearthed by CNN's KFile on Tuesday, Puzder said the electoral balance in the country was tilted because a large segment of the population would always "vote benefits to themselves."
In the 2012 radio interview, Puzder added that achievements and accomplishments, not assistance from others, is what people remember most in their lives.
"If you think back to your life at things you're proud of, they're not the fact that your parents paid for your college, or that the government gave you a loan to go to school, it's the fact that you got through school, that you got a job, that you achieved something, that you accomplished something," Puzder said.
He continued, "When you give people these benefits where they really don't have to work, they don't have to participate in society, they don't really ever get the thrill of accomplishment or achievement, you're creating an underclass of very unhappy people. I think it's not in their interest to create this class. It's really in their interest to create a society where people can find jobs, jobs are available, the economy's growing, people are prospering, it's the reason that people came to this country from all over the world. It's why my grandparents came here, because you could get a job, you could own a house. You could raise your family, and we're taking that away from people, and it's not right."
