XPost: alt.politics.trump, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.guns   
   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   useapen wrote:   
      
   >The usual Sunday talk shows have yielded a couple of interesting excerpts   
   >from two Trump administration officials on the economic outlook for the   
   >next few months.   
   >   
   >First, on ABC's This Week, host Jonathan Karl spoke with National Economic   
   >Council Director Kevin Hassett, who made some comments on the Trump vs.   
   >Biden economic policies.   
   >   
   >Here's how that conversation went:   
   >   
   >Kevin Hassett: Well, first of all, if you look at the history of   
   >inflation, right, what happened was right away, Democrat spending in Joe   
   >Biden's term, and we got inflation up almost to ten percent. It averaged   
   >five percent over the four years. And that has created a situation where,   
   >for example, mortgage rates went up, and so the typical payment for a   
   >monthly mortgage payment almost doubled. The, a bag of groceries that cost   
   >almost $400 when President Trump left office, is $500 or $550 when   
   >President Trump came back this time. And so there's this really big hole   
   >that's been dug. And then the question you could also ask of an economist   
   >is, how do I summarize all this, different prices, everything? And one of   
   >the ways you could do it is just look at purchasing power, the real wage.   
   >Purchasing power - I'll just finish this, then I'll get back to you -   
   >Purchasing power dropped by about $3,000 under Joe Biden, because the   
   >wages didn't keep up with the prices. Under President Trump it's already   
   >gone up by about $1,200. We understand that people still feel the pain of   
   >the high prices. But we're closing the gap fast.   
   >   
   >The economy, of course, as I'm continually pointing out, is like a   
   >supertanker; it doesn't turn on a dime.   
   >   
   >Next, on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures with host  Maria Bartiromo,   
   >Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared to discuss inflation and growth,   
   >specifically in the first quarter of 2026.   
   >   
   >Secretary Bessent said:   
   >   
   >The real thing that is going to happen, that is going to give Americans   
   >real purchasing power increases, it's going to be through growth. We   
   >passed the One Big Beautiful Bill. I am also the IRS Commissioner, and I   
   >can see that working Americans, thanks to the president living up to his   
   >campaign promises, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social   
   >Security, deductibility of auto loans if you buy an American car, they're   
   >going to be substantial refunds in the first quarter of '26. Working   
   >Americans will change their withholding, and they will get a bump up in   
   >their real incomes. So, I would expect in the first two quarters, we are   
   >going to see the inflation curve down, and the real income curve   
   >substantially accelerate, and when those two lines cross, Americans are   
   >going to feel it. But Maria, I will tell you what we're not going to do.   
   >What we're not going to do is tell the American people that they don't   
   >know how they're feeling, which is what the Biden administration did. They   
   >said it was a (inaudible), you don't know how good you have it, and we're   
   >working every day to get these prices down.   
   >   
   >Note the timing in Secretary Bessent's predictions: The first and second   
   >quarters of 2026. This will be key.   
   >   
   >Everything right now is about 2026. The economy will be the key to the   
   >midterms, and the midterms will be key to the Trump administration's   
   >efforts for 2027 and 2028 - up to the 2028 presidential elections. If the   
   >economy isn't broadly seen to be improving by election day, 2026, it makes   
   >it that much harder for the GOP to keep control of the House of   
   >Representatives and the Senate; losing either or both to the Democrats   
   >would hobble President Trump's efforts for the second half of his term, as   
   >well as very likely distracting him with more sham impeachments.   
   >   
   >As someone once said, "It's the economy, stupid," and that has never been   
   >truer than now. It's good to see that the Trump administration is out   
   >front with their messages, but there will also need to be some very   
   >tangible results.   
   >   
   >https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/11/16/trump-administration-economic-   
   >officials-forecast-new-economic-turnaround-n2196254   
   >   
      
   Republicans who are still not working shall be arrested and put to death   
   for disobeying the President's agenda.   
      
   I would like to see this on the 6:00 pm news.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)