Although as time has gone on, U.S. President Donald Trump and his associates have added to the array of points they claim as victories, they maintain focus on the economy. However, in the case of the president’s own son Donald Trump Jr., the Trump team’s assertions about the supposed magic Trump is working for the economy have crossed over into verifiable fantasy.
In response to a Twitter post from Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s account covering the GDP growth rate in the second quarter of 2018, Trump Jr. wrote:
‘Incredible numbers. I remember when “the experts” laughed about breaking 3%. Just because Obama never broke 2% doesn’t mean that someone with great policies can’t. Let’s keep this going.’
Incredible numbers. I remember when “the experts” laughed about breaking 3%. Just because Obama never broke 2% doesn’t mean that someone with great policies can’t. Let’s keep this going. https://t.co/05LyLBw22j
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 27, 2018
Obama did break 2%. Despite this fact, the tweet remains up as of early Saturday.
Under Barack Obama’s presidency, the United States experienced 15 quarters in which the GDP growth rate was over 2%. Of those, eight saw rates of at least 3%, and during three, the growth rate hit 4%. Obama’s economy even broke a 5% growth rate at one point, surpassing that point in the third quarter of 2014.
Are the Trumps and their associates even trying to tie their statements to reality anymore? Do they think that saying something makes it true? That’s the point observers have been driven to thanks to their continued disconnect from reality.
In the real world, concurrent with a 4.1% GDP growth rate in the second quarter of 2018, Donald Trump’s policies are harming the American economy. He has imposed wide-ranging tariffs on products like steel and aluminum from countries like China, prompting those nations to issue retaliatory tariffs.
China has targeted American soybeans and other agricultural goods, which has driven those industries into a corner as their sales have been cast into volatility. In response, the Trump administration has planned a massive $12 billion bailout package for American agriculturalists including pork, dairy, and soybean producers, forcing those farmers into reliance on the government over any trade at all, with China or otherwise.
As the economy trudges forward under this weight, the federal deficit is expected to continue ballooning until it passes $1 trillion just next year. That continued deficit growth has been propelled by measures like the Trump tax cuts, which he signed into law late last year. In their wake, corporate taxes collected by the government have plunged to a 75 year low.
At the same time, a spending bill that Trump begrudgingly signed into law earlier this year has pushed up government spending, leaving the gap between what the government is spending and what it has bigger and bigger.
Despite these issues, Trump Jr. takes after his father in pretending like everything is fine and dandy. On Tuesday, he tweeted a message reading:
‘Tariffs are the greatest! Either a country which has treated the United States unfairly on Trade negotiates a fair deal, or it gets hit with Tariffs. It’s as simple as that – and everybody’s talking! Remember, we are the “piggy bank” that’s being robbed. All will be Great!’
Despite their delusional and rosy outlook, in the real world, there’s a lot more to it than “tariffs are the greatest!”
Check out Twitter’s response to Trump Jr. below.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
