Donald Trump is out of time
Donald Trump continues to show just how dumb and unprepared he is for a job like president of the United States. Okay, so that likely applies to just about any job for him, but that’s not the point of this piece. Even as he yells that the economy is strong, he is harassing Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. As is typical, Donald Trump doesn’t understand how anything works.
In 2008, President Obama lowered the interest rates to almost zero for a very good reason: We were on the precipice of the biggest recession since the Great Depression. According to the New York Times in 2008, the interest rates were logically cut to stimulate a dying economy. Lower rates encourage spending, and spending bolsters the economy. It’s a pretty simple equation if you have half a brain. Of course, President Obama gets blamed for adding to the deficit, which he surely did, but he did it out of necessity. Those who don’t appreciate what he did either want to hate him for no reason, or they’re similar to Trump in brain power.
Trump is apparently the only person who believes our economy is and will remain stable. According to the Hill, 73% of voters are “very” or “somewhat concerned” that our economy will enter a recession next year. Even Republican voters are concerned to the tune of 55%. Democratic voters poll at 84% while independents voters stand at 79%. So, are all those surveyed crazy? Nope. According to 226 economists, we can expect a recession by the end of 2021. These economists, who were surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics, don’t unanimously agree when the recession will occur, according to AP, with 34% believing 2021, 38% predicting 2020, and 2% predicting the recession will begin in 2019. Regardless of whom you believe, all 226 economists agree that it is coming.
Trump, on the other hand, continues to tout a “very strong” economy, but it’s clear that he doesn’t believe his own nonsense. He is simultaneously pestering Jerome Powell to lower the interest rates to “stimulate” the “strong economy.” What? If the economy is so strong, why would it need stimulating? That makes no sense whatsoever, even by Trump’s standards. We have to keep in mind, however, that Trump is the king of bullshit. His followers believe and hang on his every word no matter how ridiculous those words may be.
Perhaps Trump is merely buttering up his base, most of whom likely understand very little period, let alone how the economy works. The rest of the country, however, knows what time it is, and Trump’s time is just about up. One can only wonder what he will tell his supporters when the recession comes to pass or what ridiculous arguments they will come up with to excuse Trump. Anything to continue the hate, classlessness, and division. Even Trumps’ alienation of our closest allies doesn’t bother them.
As Trump continues to speak out of both sides of his mouth, our country continues to decline both on the local and world stage. People who refuse to see what Trump is doing to this country are more than crazy. As the cliché goes, “there are none so blind as those who will not see.”
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years