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Trump is scaring US consumers. Confidence in the economy is the lowest in years & still falling [1]
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Date: 2025-02-25
In November 5th, 2024, Americans looked at a Democratic Party that had presided over one of the strongest economic recoveries from COVID among the industrial nations and said: "No thanks. We'll go with the lying fraud." Unsurprisingly, when the high wore off, the new Trump voters woke up with a greasy orange blob in their bed. And there was regret. It showed in the numbers . On Tuesday, CNN reported :
Economic jitters are showing up across various sentiment surveys as the Trump administration aims to reconfigure America's trade relationship with the world and inflation shows signs of getting stuck. The latest evidence comes from The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for February, released Tuesday morning. The index fell to 98.3, falling for the third-straight month and marking the largest monthly decline since August 2021, as expectations for inflation in the year ahead climbed. That coincides with the trends reflected in the University of Michigan's consumer survey for February.
Trump, as always, will shift the blame. He has already faulted Biden for the uptick in prices since his inauguration. The MAGA base will buy the lie. But, unlike the inflation rate, which has roots in economic decisions made in the past, consumer confidence is a measure of how people feel about the current captain of America's financial ship.
The now sober electorate has considered the direction Trump has taken. Seeing the serial bankrupt's plans for the economy, they suspect there is an iceberg upcoming. Why not? Beyond Trump's walk back on his inflation fighting promises, he has yet to do one thing to lower prices. Quite the contrary. His tariff plan and promised mass expulsion of productive workers will pressure people's pocket books.
In November 2024, 80% of Americans who said the economy was their biggest concern voted for Trump. Now, they have seen that their boy is more interested in carpet bombing the government than in lowering prices or increasing employment. Perhaps they like Trump's embrace of Russia's dictator and Europe's far-right — but even so, some must wonder how this leads to cheaper food, lowers interest rates, or reduces rent.
Adding to their concerns is the Republican plan to blow up the national debt — again. It would be one thing if the GOP directed deficit spending to improve wages and opportunities for the bottom 50%. But, as always, Republicans are playing bait and switch. The beneficiaries of the extended tax cuts will be those rarified few whose wealth is already beyond the dreams of Croesus. While Trump's immigrant expulsion will cost $100s of billions
Sadly, for 45 years, the conservative working-class voter has been Charlie Brown. And the plutocrats' political poodles in Washington have been Lucy with the football. I cannot feel sorry for those deluded dimwits. If they voted MAGA to scratch a racist itch — feck 'em. If they were dumb enough to believe a serial liar — they reaped what they sowed. FAFO.
Sadly, the rest of us have to live with the poor decisions of people who now regret their poor decisions. Let's hope enough have learned a lesson so that America can, at least, have a Democratic House in January 2027, sanity can fight back, and the recovery can begin.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/25/2306218/-Trump-is-scaring-US-consumers-Confidence-in-the-economy-is-the-lowest-in-years-still-falling?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web
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