Public Notice - Trump demands wartime sacrifices. Good luck with that.

His trade war is like World War 2, only much dumber and entirely self-inflicted.
Aaron Rupar and Stephen Robinson
May 08, 2025

By Stephen Robinson

Donald Trump launched a pointless trade war, and catastrophe is on the horizon. Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned yesterday that unless the president backs down on his tariffs, “they are likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth, and an increase in unemployment."

But the president is demanding that Americans sacrifice for … well, that part remains a mystery.

During an interview last week with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, Trump said he’s fine if the US has to endure a recession. He’s also repeatedly promoted the upside of Americans enduring Soviet-era deprivation on his behalf.

“I don't think a beautiful baby girl that's 11 years old needs to have 30 dolls,” Trump said. “I think they can have three dolls or four dolls ... they don't need to have 250 pencils. They can have five."



Trump used this talking point again the same day his Meet the Press interview aired, but even less coherently: “A young lady — 10 year old girl, 9 year old girl, 15 year old girl — doesn't need 37 dolls. She could be very happy with two or three or four or five.”

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