National & Minnesota Report
When Donald J Trump (R) was a candidate, his message resonated with millions of Americans. He was the self-proclaimed outsider who would “drain the swamp,” bring jobs back to the country, and strike deals that would make America great again. He sold a shiny, simple narrative about how his genius in business would fix the economy. Fast-forward to his time in office, and it quickly became clear: Trump the Candidate and Trump the President were two entirely different beings—especially when it comes to understanding and addressing the economic challenges faced by the average American.
What is the greatest disconnect between Trump and his MAGA supporters? It’s not just his policies, though they are riddled with contradictions, false promises, and outright failures. The real issue lies in the deep, almost tragic, gap between Trump’s oversimplified economic rhetoric and the actual economic literacy of his base. You see, Trump’s supporters—largely made up of people who did not complete higher education—are often unable to understand the complex issues of macroeconomics and microeconomics that are necessary to critically evaluate his policies.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a significant portion of Trump’s base is comprised of voters without higher education. In 2020, approximately 58% of Trump voters had only a high school education or less, compared to 34% of Biden voters. This demographic, largely white working-class voters, faces daily struggles with economic insecurity, and yet many are unable to fully grasp the intricate economic systems that affect their lives. The average person isn’t reading economic textbooks or tuning into finance podcasts. Instead, they’re focused on the immediate—the kitchen table economics of inflation, gas prices, and the rising cost of living.
This is where Trump’s rhetoric hits a brick wall. He sells a narrative of simple solutions—one-size-fits-all answers that promise prosperity without any clear understanding of the complexities involved. The promise of bringing jobs back through tariffs, for example, was an illusion of grandeur. Trump’s trade wars led to higher prices for consumers and lost jobs in many industries, such as agriculture, which was especially harmed by retaliatory tariffs from other countries. Yet, despite the clear negative impact on his supporters’ lives, Trump insisted that his “winning” strategies were working.
His campaign slogans worked wonders in stoking fear, but the economic realities were ignored. While Trump parroted about “great trade deals” and “job creation,” his economic team made policies that disproportionately benefited the wealthiest Americans and large corporations, not the working-class voters who were promised a better life. According to the Tax Policy Center, Trump’s tax cuts overwhelmingly benefited the wealthiest Americans, with 83% of the benefits going to the top 1% of earners by 2027. This was a betrayal of the very people who believed Trump was their voice in Washington.
Trump’s voters, many of whom are concerned about inflation and the cost of living, were sold the idea that Trump’s economic policies would fix their problems. Yet, these concerns—real and pressing to working-class Americans—were completely disconnected from the policies that Trump advocated for. The Trump administration’s tariffs did not bring jobs back in any meaningful way; instead, they led to higher prices for everyday goods like food and electronics, all while enriching the very corporations that had outsourced those jobs in the first place.
It’s no secret that Trump, the businessman, sold himself as a deal-maker. But it was a deal with a clear catch—in the real world, there are no easy, instant solutions to the complex issues of international trade, labor markets, and tax policy. Economics is not as simple as claiming victory over a trade deficit or asserting that “America will win.” It’s nuanced. It requires long-term planning, investment in education and infrastructure, and an understanding of how global economies work. Trump, unfortunately, was only ever able to focus on the illusion of success, the quick win that would leave his supporters thinking they were on the winning side.
The stark truth is that while inflation and the cost of living are kitchen-table issues for many Americans, Trump’s policies didn’t address them. His policies were often recklessly oversimplified, glossing over the complexities of economic realities. By the time it became evident that his economic decisions were actually harming the very voters who believed in him, it was too late.
Take, for example, the jobs that were supposed to return as a result of his trade wars. He promised that his tariffs would make it impossible for companies to outsource labor, but the reality was that businesses found new ways to adapt—most often by increasing prices or investing in automation rather than bringing back jobs. This left many workers in industries like manufacturing with no new opportunities and higher costs for the goods they consumed.
Even worse, Trump repeatedly misled his base with grandiose statements that bordered on delusional. For instance, he boldly claimed that his tax cuts would pay for themselves and lead to huge economic growth. Yet, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the tax cuts contributed to a $2 trillion increase in the national debt, with no significant long-term economic gains to show for it. Instead of creating an economic miracle, Trump’s tax policies disproportionately benefited corporations and the wealthiest Americans while leaving the middle class to shoulder the consequences.
In his desire to maintain the facade of a strong economy under his leadership, Trump has shown a complete lack of understanding about what actually drives sustainable growth. Macroeconomics, which deals with the economy as a whole, and microeconomics, which concerns individual markets and behaviors, are clearly not “kitchen-table” issues for his voters. But Trump made them so by overselling simplistic solutions. As the man who once promised to make America great again, his economic legacy is, in reality, a series of self-inflicted wounds, as Janet Yellen so aptly put it. His ignorance of economic theory and reality led him to make decisions that not only didn’t help his supporters but actively harmed them.
At the end of the day, the blame lies with Trump and his administration’s inability to translate populist rhetoric into actual policy solutions. His disconnect with the realities of economics and his voters’ struggles was his greatest flaw, and it’s one that continues to shape the discourse as he prepares to run again for president. When the next election cycle rolls around, will his supporters still buy into the same oversimplified, fact-free rhetoric? Or will they start asking themselves why, after all the grand promises, they’re still waiting for the greatness Trump promised them?
The truth is, Trump’s economic policies never worked for the people who needed them most. Instead, they left a legacy of inflated egos, misguided tax breaks, and inflated trade promises, all while the American people picked up the tab.