Deluge of Adroit Deceit

The first thing and, admittedly, the most important thing, to notice about these remarks by President Trump is that he's doing the China thing: confronted by someone he has condemned, he has backed down.  Yet, something else is interesting and likely will fly below the radar. Trump comments

But if you remember my first week, I was standing here, Paul, and they were screaming about eggs. The cost of eggs had gone through the roof. They were up like 500- crazy- four or five times and we won't have eggs for Easter. There'll be no eggs, you can't order eggs. the wanted a sort of plastic in the shape of eggs where yesterday we had 48,000 people at the Easter hunt.. They call it the Easter roll, at the White House, and we had all eggs as you know, the cost of  eggs has come down like 93, 94 percent.

Since we took office and they're pretty much normally priced now- a great job by Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins did a very good job and groceries have come down. It's all coming down. The only thing that hasn't gone down but hasn't gone up much are interest rates so we think that the Fed should lower the rate. We think it's a perfect time to lower the rate and we'd like to see our Chairman be early or on time as opposed to late.

Trump: You know, the cost of eggs have come down like 93, 94% since we took office. They are pretty much normally price now… Groceries have come down. It’s all coming down pic.twitter.com/mUbS7k21d1

— Acyn (@Acyn) April 22, 2025

The retail  cost of eggs has not declined but if a lie is repeated often enough- as Trump is skilled at- a lot of people will believe him. It's especially credible when a number not a multiple of five- such as 93 or 94- is quoted. Most human brains would go to "that number couldn't have been made up!" 

Moreover, Trump is thinking logically. If the price of eggs and other groceries are in decline, there would be no better time to reduce the prime interest rate. 

If only. It is unclear that prices have dropped and very clear that most economists believe that inflation will soar if the tariffs imposed by the President remain in effect.  While prices overall have gone down, they did so only in March (year over year) and just barely.  It's certainly inaccurate that "the only thing that hasn't gone down" is the prime rate. The only thing that's obviously going down is the economy, whether into inflation, recession, or stagflation.

But Donald Trump knows that he can adopt falsehood as his modus operandi and the same mass of individuals will believe him. As he once boasted, he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a vote, though he probably would lose a few thousand. That's not the style of an idiot, of a man swirling in chaos or afflicted with dementia, not even especially ignorant. 

In one of those great, widely applicable lines  "There's another old saying, Senator. Don't piss on my back and tell me it's raining." President Trump does that each day to everyone except the most fortunate, and many Americans would swear it's a 100-year flood.  

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