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Trump screams at America that everything is fine



Frequently yelling, President Donald Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday,
telling Americans that their experiences of the current economy were wrong, and
that actually it was the “hottest” in the world. However, hours after he spoke,
the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the costs of groceries remain
stubbornly high under Trump’s watch.



In his speech, Trump praised his tariff policy, saying “tariffs” were his
“favorite word” because they had purportedly made America “the hottest country
anywhere in the world.”

But within hours of the speech’s conclusion, Trump’s message was undermined.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its regular Consumer Price Index report
on Thursday morning. The report shows that food prices in November increased
2.6% year over year—higher than in November 2024, when the pace of food
inflation was 2.4%.




 



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The BLS report details that prices for meat, poultry, fish and eggs increased
even more, by 4.7% over the past year.

In 2024, Trump campaigned against high food prices under the Biden
administration, and claimed he would push policies lowering costs on his first
day in office. That has not happened.

In reality, Trump has increased tariffs on goods, and retailers are passing
those increased costs on to consumers. Families are able to afford fewer
things, and the change in spending habits is working its way through the
economy.

And while the BLS report also reveals that core inflation—which excludes food
and energy prices—eased slightly in November, many economists are warning that
the data is troubled. For example, the report was delayed due to the Republican
Party’s government shutdown, and much of the data gathering took place shortly
before Black Friday, when prices were artificially lower, rather than across
the entire month of November, as typically occurs.

Before the report’s release, former Federal Reserve economist Alan Detmeister
said the overall report would be a “very poor reflection of reality.”



And other data agrees with that point. A Bureau of Labor Statistics report on
Tuesday showed the unemployment rate is up to 4.6%, the highest it has been
since September 2021, when the nation was still facing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heather Long, chief economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union, said the
unemployment data revealed that the U.S. was “in a hiring recession”—the
opposite of the “hot” state Trump touted in his abrasive speech.




 



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Trump’s speech also adds to swirling questions about his mental state.

When he wasn’t misconstruing Americans’ economic struggles, Trump used his
bigoted anti-immigration actions to claim he was taking action to help American
workers, arguing that deporting immigrants would mean “more housing and more
jobs.”

In a cynical attempt to shore up his sagging approval ratings, Trump also
announced a “warrior dividend” for military members, sending them $1,776 before
Christmas, but this was actually a congressionally approved subsidy that was
previously appropriated.

Democratic leaders panned Trump’s shouting.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told MS NOW, “It was an unhinged speech
that was, of course, untethered from reality and truth. You know, Donald Trump
has made things worse for the American people.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, “President Trump’s
speech last night showed he lives in a bubble completely disconnected from the
reality everyday Americans are seeing and feeling.”

“Behind the absolutely unhinged delivery there is a simple truth: Trump’s
corruption is helping his friends and family while things are getting worse for
you and yours,” Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey wrote in a post on
social media. “He’s failing you because he doesn’t care about you.”

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said the speech was a “sad attempt at
distraction,” adding, “Americans know the truth: costs are up, unemployment is
up, and he STILL won’t release the Epstein Files.”

Trump’s speech was out of touch with growing concerns about affordability,
something Trump has called a “hoax” even as polls show the economy and
inflation are their top issues.

Meanwhile, day after day, congressional Republicans are choosing not to run
for reelection. It is a sign that Trump’s economy is a political loser—and more
yelling isn’t going to help.



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