The war at Christmas occurred early this year – and an unexpected source: Donald Trump. It is only that can, but it already throws the bases of empty shelves, wallets and stockings, all thanks to a pricing policy that could hit American consumers hard.
“Maybe children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls”, ” Trump raised his shoulders recently at the end of a cabinet meeting“And maybe the two dolls will cost a few dollars more.”
For fear that you thought that this act of scrooge was only another remark out of the time, Trump doubled, Reiterating for “meet the press” the host Kristin Welker: “I don't think a beautiful little girl – the age of 11 – must have 30 dolls. I think they can have three dolls or four dolls. They don't need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.”
Listen, I am not a fan of consumerism with large surfaces. I am closer to being a minimalist – the kind of person who contracts when a drawer does not close. So I am sympathetic to the idea that we all have too many things.
But this is my business; It is not the president's work to ration pencils and barbies as if we were in Great Britain in wartime.
So why does he say that?
Trump's rhetoric seems to be to sell rarity as a virtue – while claiming that it is a kind of noble character test for the American family. In short, we should thank him for this opportunity to sacrifice.
Again, there is nothing wrong with setting limits or being frugal. But Trump is not your dad. He is the president. And the last time I checked, he obtained this position by promising to lower prices “from Day 1.“”
And let's be honest, he's not exactly the perfect messenger for austerity, anyway.
Think of irony: a guy with gold toilet You to Marie Kondo's list of wishes for your daughter? It takes a lot of Chutzpah. A bit like Ozzy Osbourne telling you that you had enough to drink after two gin and tonic.
Imagine, just for a moment, if Barack Obama had said something like that. Or Mitt Romney. Or even George W. Bush. Fox News would have exploded. Glenn Beck would have released the blackboard for an interpretation monologue on the dangers of collectivism. The Chyrons write themselves: “Dollgate!” “Central planning!” Sean Hannity would shout: “He means your children how many stickers they can have!”
Remember how the nation really reacted when President Carter called “Self-comprehensive and consumption”, and urged Americans to reduce? (His rival in his re-election campaign, Ronald Reagan, cleverly exploited the love of Americans for cheap consumer goods, asking voters: “Is it easier for you to buy things in stores four years ago?”)
Once upon a time, Carter's message was political suicide. But because Trump is a personality cult, no one on the right seems to have noticed that Trumpomy has somehow fired in left territory – more recently illustrated by Insistence of Bernie Sanders “You do not necessarily need a choice of 23 deodorants in spray under the armpits or 18 pairs of different sneakers.”
Carter and Sanders were reprimanded for a good reason. But in one way or another, Trump can continue to pose while Reagan meets Santa Claus. It takes good marketing. And I guess, in a typical Orwellian way, Trump's administration is probably 15 minutes from Trump's allocation to two dollars from Trump as “rationing of freedom”.
Which is crazy. Trump's comments are not only opportunistic, hypocrites And paternalistic; They are also non -American. Not in the sense of the farmer and the tampon notants, but in the accidentalist individualistic sense – the part of the American psyche who retreats when someone in power begins to tell you what you need.
Because at the base, what Trump pushes is a tacit form of defeatism – he channels Carter, just with fewer Sunday schools and many more mistresses. “Do not touch the thermostat. Put a cardigan, kid. And make the college last.”
In addition to all this, “Dollgate” is in conflict with the ambitious image that has served Trump over the years.
But here is the real problem: Trump is not just turning original threads on children and their coiled toy stores. He normalizes the consequences of his own bad politicians.
His message does not concern building the character or simple life; It is a question of controlling the damage. He tries to redesign inflation as a virtue, economic tension as a moral clarity and rarity of consumers as a character construction.
Call me crazy, but I don't think anyone will buy it. Americans will tolerate a lot, but less things are not part of it. And no amount of rotation is likely to change this.
Because in the end, Trump's problem is not that he speaks as a philosopher of savings stores; It is because it pushes economic policies that require rationalization rationing.
Instead of reducing our expectations to adapt to its policies, it should simply change plans.
Do you want to arouse joy, Mr. Trump? Start by giving the American people more choices – no less.
Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Rich Politicians” and “too stupid to fail”.
