Donald Trump still doesn’t get it
In June of 1992, former VP Dan Quayle altered the correct spelling of “potato” to “potatoe” at an Elementary School spelling bee in New Jersey. He became the subject of widespread ridicule for this error. I am pretty sure Quayle knows how to spell the word “potato” today. I doubt it’s a lesson he ever forgot.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, is bullet proof against learning from his mistakes. On Thursday, after a word salad ramble that took longer than usual, even by Trump standards, Trump told the Economic Club of New York that he would eliminate the deficit and pay for childcare — with tariffs. That’s right, Trump still thinks (or claims to think) that making foreign goods more expensive for Americans will solve America’s deficit and childcare needs. He claimed his tariff plan would take in “trillions of dollars.” Because “right now we’re a failing nation.” Uh huh. Right. Trump received polite applause for this bullshit.
Presumably, members of the Economic Club of New York know a thing or two about how the economy works. Presumably, they know that tariffs on foreign goods will increase inflation and create yet another burden for the struggling American taxpayer. And yet, according to some polls, Trump is more trusted on the economy than Kamala Harris.
Despite my background in mathematics I am hopeless when it comes to economics. My eyes automatically glaze over whenever I talk to an accountant. But even I understand what a tariff is. The “genius” businessman clearly doesn’t, and after four years of proving that he is a disaster when it comes to all things economic, and decades as a failed businessman, why on earth do people still trust him with their money?
I think I understand what’s happening with Trump, at least. He lives inside an echo chamber, a news bubble where he is shielded from unflattering news by a paid employee whose only job is to provide him with carefully edited and flattering newspaper clippings. Trump has no real idea how truly hated he is. I think that’s why he frequently turns to reporters and says things like, they know how popular the repeal of Roe is, for instance, and how most legal analysts agree with it. When all you watch is Fox News and all you read are fawning articles, I suppose such rubbish actually seems plausible.
Of course, since the mainstream media refuses to fact check Trump in real time, or at all, his bullshit continues to hold sway. As a consequence it’s not so hard to understand why Trump still doesn’t know what a tariff is, apart from the fact that he’s presumably been a fulltime businessman for sixty years or so, of course. Apart from the fact that he’s a blithering moron, of course.
But why do so many of the American people still fall for his rubbish? I guess it’s because thinking is hard, and some Americans hate to do it. But Trump is an unqualified disaster at everything he does, and he never tires of proving it. You would think people would notice. You would think they would catch on. Well, as the saying goes, cultivate a reputation as an early riser and you can sleep until noon. I guess it’s something like that.
There are 8 million stories in the naked city of endless Trump bullshit. This has been one of them. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.