I’ve seen the following message in some form or fashion multiple times on social media.
For all of you Biden voters, I am making this post so it will show back up as a future memory on my timeline: Today is 1 day after Biden electoral confirmation. Gasoline is currently $2.19 per gallon. Interest rates are 2.25 percent for a 30-year mortgage. The stock market closed at 30829.40 though we have been fighting COVID for 11 months. Our GDP growth for the 3rd Qtr was 33.1 percent. We had the best economy ever until COVID and it is recovering well. We have not had any new wars or conflicts in the last 4 years. North Korea has been under control and has not been testing any missiles. ISIS has not been heard from for over 3 years. The housing market is the strongest it has been in years. Homes have appreciated at an unbelievable rate and sell well. And let’s not forget that peace deals in the Middle East were signed by 4 countries—unprecedented! Unemployment sits at 6.7% in spite of COVID. Joe Biden takes over on January 20th. Let’s compare notes in 1 year.
Trump Supporters on Social Media
While it’s easy to make comparative statements between politicians, it is vital that we ask: WHY? Why are circumstances the way they are right now?
Let’s start with gas prices. While day-to-day gas prices can be impacted by many factors that fluctuate the oil futures markets, gas prices are still market-driven. It’s supply and demand. While we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and unprecedented numbers of workers are telecommuting, demand is down. Way down! The simple reality that the Trump administration failed to implement any form of national strategy has led to hundreds of thousands of Americans deaths. The lack of planning and support has crippled our economy. So yes, the demand for oil is very low when going most anywhere in public could give you a potentially deadly virus.
Interest rates are incredibly low. This is a true fact. But again we must ask, why are interest rates so low? The Federal Reserve lowers interest rates in times of economic hardship in order to stimulate growth within the economy. So in reality, low-interest rates are not a measure of success. Low-interest rates are a measure of economic failure. The mere inclusion of this fact in such a “metric list” illustrates the author’s ignorance.
The stock market is booming. Especially since President Trump gave the wealthiest Americans a billion-dollar tax cut during his term, of course, the stock market is booming. After all, how much of the stock market do you own? The U.S. stock market is not representative of the U.S. economy. This reality is part of the DNC’s appeal.
“The top 10% of households, on average, own $1.7 million of stock, directly and indirectly, while the bottom 50% hold just $11,000.”
Who Owns the Stock Market? by The Irrelevant Investor
Similarly, the amazing U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in Q3 of 2020 sounds incredible if you look at that one fact alone. You have to consider (1) conditions prior to that incredible growth and (2) that GDP, as a metric, comes with its own drawbacks. A country’s GDP is largely a reflection of an economy’s output. GDP does not reflect the economic health and wellbeing of its citizens. An upturn in GDP could actually come at a cost to a country’s citizens and illustrate greater separation in income inequality.
You don’t have to take my word for it. The proof is in the pudding. 2020 was an amazing year for American’s billionaires. They made freaking bank! I don’t blame them for it. If you want to keep the money you have, you’ve got to put that money to work. Even so, the amount of growth experienced by these few individuals is obscene.
“America’s billionaire class had a smashing 2020. Altogether, the more than 600 U.S. billionaires are worth $4 trillion, a gain of $560 billion since the beginning of the year, aided by record-breaking stock markets.”
The World’s Billionaires Have The World’s Billionaires Have Gotten $1.9 Trillion Richer In 2020 by Chase Peterson-Withorn
“Over the last three decades, the share of total U.S. income held by the bottom 20 percent of earners fell steadily. Most households haven’t seen meaningful appreciation in their purchasing power since the 1970s as average wages have barely outpaced inflation.”
How Trump fueled economic inequality in America by Jeffrey Kucik
My intention in writing this response is not to poo-poo on every accomplishment of President Trump. Sure, there were some victories. I do wonder though, is President Trump’s foreign policy the victories conservatives truly want to tout?
“Trump does not even define advancing democracy abroad as a U.S. objective. He often brags about his friendly relations with dictators.”
Trump’s foreign policy report card is full of failing grades by Michael McFaul
The article written by Michael McFaul is enlightening. While Mr. McFaul has been an outspoken critic of President Trump’s, Ambassador McFaul is a man with the foreign relations experience to speak to President Trump’s record. The Trump foreign policy was largely a failure in the eyes of the world and many Americans.
When all you examine are the surface arguments of a topic because they happen to reinforce your bias or worldview, you are doing yourself a disservice. Please, for the love of our fellow man, look deeper. Ask more questions. Think critically.
I have no problem giving credit where credit is due. Unfortunately, we don’t get to make up credit based on facts that are not real. Your lies will metastasize and spread, ultimately ending in blood shed like January 6, 2021 on the steps of the United States Capitol.
Truth matters.