Recently, the news stories in the media have been coming so fast and furious they’re almost like a group of muscular bald men driving hot cars out of airplanes, landing them on top of other cars, and then driving away at high speed while firing a rocket launcher out the window&#8230; because they’re fast and… well, never mind.
Anyway, I began to wonder: how can the news media report all this news in a way that reflects the outlooks of Americans everywhere across this great land, from the pine forests of Vermont to the golden wheat fields of Kansas, across the vast expanses of Texas to the sun-baked beaches of the Pacific Coast? So I decided I would take a look at the headlines of news outlets from 40th Street in Manhattan all the way to 47th Street — because that’s about all of them.
So for instance, in the news, inflation slowed to its lowest rate in more than four years.
Here’s the headline from The Wall Street Journal: &#8220;Trump’s Tariffs to Cause Massive Inflation Very, Very Soon, Experts Who Predicted Massive Inflation Because of Trump’s Tariffs Very Soon Say.&#8221;
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Andrew Klavan Show</a></h3>
Here’s One From The New York Times: &#8220;Hardworking Migrant Juan Ortega May Lose His Chicken Farm as Trump’s Policies Cause the Bottom to Fall Out of Egg Prices.&#8221;
And here’s the Report from NPR: &#8220;How Lower Inflation Spurred the Rise of Hitler,&#8221; a historical report read by a person with a very soft, sleepy voice that will make you want to hurt yourself just to make it stop.
Another news story: Trump negotiated a ceasefire between hostile nuclear powers India and Pakistan.
From The Wall Street Journal: &#8220;Nuclear Devastation Averted, Leaving Millions Alive to Suffer Massive Inflation Very Soon Because of Donald Trump’s Tariffs, Experts who Predicted Massive Inflation Very Soon Because of Donald Trump’s Tariffs Say.&#8221;
Or from The New York Times: &#8220;Environmentalists Worry that Trump’s Reckless Actions on the Indian Subcontinent Will Leave Earth’s Population at Levels Sure to Cause Devastating Climate Change.&#8221;
Or the story as reported by NBC News: &#8220;Biden’s Policy of Mindlessly Prolonging Foreign Wars to No Effect Finally Pays Big Dividends by Bringing Peace Deal Between India and Pakistan.&#8221;
In other news, Trump negotiated the release of Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage being held by vampiric Palestinian monsters.
The headline in The Wall Street Journal reads: &#8220;Released Hostage Finds Himself in a World Soon to be Wracked by Massive Inflation Caused by Trump’s Tariffs, According to Experts.&#8221;
The New York Times headline was: &#8220;Sad Little Palestinian Boy Jihad Muhammed Sharia Jihad Jihad Muhammed Sheds Sad Tears of Very Sad Sadness as Genocidal Israelis Steal the Wonderful Friend his Parents Kept Chained up for Him in the Basement.&#8221;
And of course, CNN featured an interview with a Columbia University professor who once read part of a book on Israel and says the Jews sound genocidal to him until Scott Jennings knocks him unconscious and jumps up and down on his face.
Then there was the news that Donald Trump had negotiated several trillion dollars in American investment from Saudi Arabia.
The Wall Street Journal reported the story with the headline: &#8220;Saudis Want to Invest in America but Whoa Nellie, Just Wait Till They See the Massive Inflation that’s Going to be Caused by Trump’s Tariffs Any Day Now, Experts Say.&#8221;
The Headline in The New York Times reads: &#8220;Sad Yale Historian Who Studies Fascism Says He Is Leaving America Because Trump’s Presidency Will Look Just Like Fascism as Soon as It Looks Like Fascism.&#8221;
And CBS reported: &#8220;Weak Trump Caves to Saudi Demands that he take their Money.&#8221;
In other news, Trump struck a deal with China to free us from their hammerlock on our supply lines, brought down drug prices, bombed the Houthis into submission, opened U.K. markets to American farmers, made progress on a nuclear deal with Iran, and the headlines say….. oh, screw it.
***
This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.”
The views expressed in this satirical article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. Follow him on X: <a href="https://x.com/andrewklavan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@andrewklavan</a>
Klavan is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fourth installment, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613165536?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_thcv_3&amp;storeType=ebooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Woman Underground.</a>” His most recent nonfiction release is “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Cain-Finding-Literature-Darkness/dp/0310368340/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=nMYjR&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.bc3ba8d1-5076-4ab7-9ba8-a5c6211e002d&amp;pf_rd_p=bc3ba8d1-5076-4ab7-9ba8-a5c6211e002d&amp;pf_rd_r=133-8344803-2786917&amp;pd_rd_wg=7a8J3&amp;pd_rd_r=5791ea0f-6d96-4732-9d6a-3a4e6b348bb5&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kingdom of Cain: Finding God in the Literature of Darkness.</a>” (May 2025, Zondervan/HarperCollins).

Donald Trump, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

Trump’s Global Triumphs Cause Inflation Apocalypse, Say Analysts Cheering For Inflation Apocalypse

Andrew Klavan

Donald Trump

Economy

Foreign Policy

Inflation

Legacy Media

Satire

Tariffs

The annual inflation rate was lower than experts expected in April, coming in at 2.3%, its lowest point since February 2021.
The Labor Department on Tuesday reported that the consumer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in April, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/13/cpi-inflation-april-2025.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNBC</a>. While April&#8217;s 0.2% increase from the same month last year was a jump from the 0.1% year-over-year drop in March, the 2.3% inflation rate was just below the forecast of 2.4%, giving President Donald Trump some good economic news shortly after his &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs went into effect. The White House <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922282764780355920" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrated</a> the news in a post on X, crediting the &#8220;TRUMP EFFECT.&#8221;
&#8220;For the last several years, hardworking families have faced an affordability crisis. Finally, with @POTUS at the helm, Americans are breathing a sigh of relief — every dollar is going further and workers are able to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks!&#8221; Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer <a href="https://x.com/SecretaryLCD/status/1922287250882109733" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
Food prices saw a slight decline of 0.1% from March to April, with the cost of eggs falling 12.7%. Used car prices were also down in April, while month-over-month energy prices increased 0.7%, shelter costs rose 0.3%, and new car prices remained the same, according to the consumer price index <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>. The year-over-year index for energy was down 3.7%, gasoline dropped 11.8% over the past 12 months, and the fuel oil index saw a 9.6% decline over that period. The index for electricity was up 3.6% over the last 12 months, and the natural gas index rose 15.7%, the report added.
The report comes as President Trump makes progress on a trade deal with China, providing some tariff relief. The Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-china-release-details-of-agreement-to-dramatically-slash-tariffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Monday that it agreed to slash its reciprocal tariff on China to 10% for 90 days while the 20% fentanyl tariff remains in place. In return, China also dropped its retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods to 10%. Those reductions are set to go into effect on Wednesday as the two countries seek to continue negotiations.
Last week, Trump also struck a deal with the United Kingdom, giving the United States more access to the British economy and maintaining the tariff on U.K. imports at 10%. In return, the United Kingdom will be allowed to export up to 100,000 vehicles to the United States for a 10% tariff, a reduction of Trump&#8217;s 25% tariff on foreign auto imports.
Some economic experts predict that the brunt of Trump&#8217;s tariffs will not reflect in economic data until the summer, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/business/inflation-prices-tariffs.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> and The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/cpi-inflation-april-2025-interest-rate-8febd2d2?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>.

Inflation Hits Lowest Point In Over 4 Years As April Report Better Than Expected

Food prices

Gas Prices

Politics

White House

On Thursday morning, the day after the Federal Reserve voted to leave the benchmark interest rate between 4.25% and 4.5%, President Donald Trump targeted Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, calling him a “fool who doesn’t have a clue” while adding, “I like him very much!”
“‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell is a FOOL, who doesn’t have a clue. Other than that, I like him very much! Oil and Energy way down, almost all costs (groceries and ‘eggs’) down, virtually NO INFLATION, Tariff Money Pouring Into the U.S. — THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ‘TOO LATE!’ ENJOY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Too Late” Jerome Powell is a FOOL, who doesn’t have a clue. Other than that, I like him very much! Oil and Energy way down, almost all costs (groceries and “eggs”) down, virtually NO INFLATION, Tariff Money Pouring Into the U.S. — THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF “TOO LATE!” ENJOY!
From…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1920433381654909340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Fed stated that it doesn’t want to lower interest rates until economic forecasts — which have been in the doldrums since Trump announced his tariff policy — become brighter, adding that the “risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen,” CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/08/trump-calls-fed-chair-jerome-powell-a-fool-after-central-bank-keeps-rates-steady.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“We are always going to do the same thing, which is we are going to use our tools to foster maximum employment and price stability for the benefit of the American people,” Powell — who was initially nominated to his post by Trump in November 2017, then reappointed by President Joe Biden — said. “We are always going to consider only the economic data, the outlook, the balance of risks and that’s it. That’s all we are going to consider.”
In February 2024, Trump said he would not reappoint Powell, whose term ends in May 2026, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/02/economy/trump-reappoint-fed-chair-jerome-powell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling</a> Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo, “It looks to me like he’s trying to lower interest rates for the sake of maybe getting people elected, I don’t know. I think he’s going to do something to probably help the Democrats, I think, if he lowers interest rates.”
In mid-April, Powell <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/who-appoints-fed-chair-and-can-trump-fire-jerome-powell-what-to-know/3724729/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Economic Club of Chicago, &#8220;For the time being, we are well positioned to wait for greater clarity&#8221; on the impact of Trump’s policy changes. Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114352766082542122">responded</a> the next day, “The ECB is expected to cut interest rates for the 7th time, and yet, ‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete ‘mess!’ Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS. Too Late should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!”
On Sunday, Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/read-full-transcript-president-donald-trump-interviewed-meet-press-mod-rcna203514" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke</a> of Powell on “NBC’s “Meet The Press,&#8221; saying Powell should lower interest rates, adding, “We are at a perfect time. It’s already late. But he should lower interest rates.”
When host Kristen Welker asked if he would rule out removing Powell, Trump replied, “I get to change him very quickly anyway.”
“You don’t have plans to remove him before 2026 when his time’s up?” Welker pressed.
“No, no, no. That was a total — why would I do that? I get to replace the person in another short period of time,” Trump answered.

MixCollage-08-May-2025-11-15-AM-5067

Fed Says It Won’t Lower Interest Rates. Trump Calls Powell A ‘Fool Who Doesn’t Have A Clue.’

Executive

Federal Reserve

Interest Rates

Jerome Powell

President Donald Trump on Thursday called for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates, saying that his termination couldn&#8217;t come &#8220;fast enough.&#8221;
Trump’s call on Truth Social comes a day after Powell delivered remarks critical of the president at the Economic Club of Chicago. Trump contrasted Powell’s handling of interest rates with the European Central Bank (ECB), which announced interest rate cuts on Thursday. 
“The ECB is expected to cut interest rates for the 7th time, and yet, ‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete ‘mess!’ Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114352766082542122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on his social media network. “Too Late should have lowered Interest Rates, like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now. Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!”
Trump has <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114280322706682564">repeatedly</a> called for Powell to cut interest rates, saying that the Fed chair was “playing politics” with the economy earlier this month. 
On Wednesday, Powell <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o_9kO0zZQg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he believed Trump’s tariffs would cause inflation. Trump has imposed a baseline 10% tariff on most American trading partners, a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, and select tariffs on other products, such as automobiles. 
“Tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation,&#8221; Powell said. &#8220;The inflationary effects could also be more persistent. Avoiding that outcome will depend on the size of the effects, on how long it takes for them to pass through fully to prices, and, ultimately, on keeping longer-term inflation expectations well anchored.&#8221; 
Powell added that he was waiting “for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance.”
“We’re always going to be aiming for maximum employment and price stability,&#8221; he said. “I do think we’ll be moving away from those goals for the balance of this year, or at least not making any progress, and then we’ll resume that progress as we can.”
Trump has said that the tariffs are generating billions in revenue for the federal government and are necessary to get more favorable trade deals for the United States. On Thursday, he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114353201227355474" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that “every nation” wants to meet over the tariffs, including China. The president and his staff met with Japan on Wednesday and are expected to meet with Italy on Thursday to discuss the tariffs. 
Powell&#8217;s post as chair of the Fed runs through May 2026. He previously <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/11/07/congress/feds-powell-says-trump-cant-fire-him-00188311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that it would be unlawful for Trump to remove him.

President Trump Announces Nominee For Federal Reserve Chair Of The Board Of Governors

Trump Attacks Fed Chair Jerome Powell: ‘Termination Cannot Come Fast Enough’

Inflation cooled faster than economists’ expectations in the month of March, though the impacts of tariffs could still mitigate those gains.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), an estimate of the price of all household consumer goods and services, <a href="https://www.barrons.com/livecoverage/cpi-report-inflation-data-march" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rose</a> by 2.4% year-over-year in March, beating economists’ expectations of a 2.6% increase, though still higher than the Federal Reserve’s goal of 2%. Core CPI, a measure of CPI excluding more volatile food and fuel prices, rose 2.8% year-over-year, less than the predicted 3%.
While inflation is cooling, Federal Reserve officials and experts have signaled that interest rate cuts might not happen in the near term. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday that President Donald Trump’s fast-moving trade policies should be given some time before the Fed looks at interest rate adjustments either way.
Mohamed El-Erian, president of Queens’ College, Cambridge, and chief economic adviser at Allianz SE, made a similar comment Thursday morning on X, noting the positive inflation signs might not immediately impact interest rates.
“US CPI inflation for March was better (lower) than the consensus forecasts — across the board. The monthly price changes came in at -0.1% for headline and 0.1% for core. This took the annual measures down to 2.4% and 2.8%, respectively — low levels not seen for several years,” El-Erian said.
“The forward-looking information content of these numbers is heavily influenced by how you think all the news on tariffs will impact price/wage-setting behavior, as well as household/corporate impact on aggregate demand,” he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
US CPI inflation for March was better (lower) than the consensus forecasts — across the board. The monthly price changes came in at -0.1% for headline and 0.1% for core. This took the annual measures down to 2.4% and 2.8%, respectively — low levels not seen for several years.… <a href="https://t.co/xDeYFZ8y0W">https://t.co/xDeYFZ8y0W</a>
&mdash; Mohamed A. El-Erian (@elerianm) <a href="https://twitter.com/elerianm/status/1910313276660916421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari wrote in an <a href="https://www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2025/potential-implications-of-announced-tariffs-for-monetary-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">essay</a> Wednesday morning – before the inflation report or Trump’s 90-day pause on most tariffs on most countries was announced – that interest rates should stay the same until tariffs have more time to take effect.
“In my view, the hurdle to change the federal funds rate one way or the other has increased due to the tariffs. Given the paramount importance of keeping long-run inflation expectations anchored and the likely boost to near-term inflation from tariffs, the bar for cutting rates even in the face of a weakening economy and potentially increased unemployment is higher,” Kashkari wrote. “Given that we don’t yet know how many countries will respond to the tariffs and whether we are beginning a trade war with tit-for-tat tariff increases, the risk of unanchoring inflation expectations seems to have increased notably.”

Inflation Cools Faster Than Expected In March: ‘Low Levels Not Seen For Several Years’

consumer Price Index

On Wednesday, in an apparent response to the latest tariff increase by President Donald Trump on China to 104%, the yield – or interest rate – on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond rose again, possibly spurring a cut in interest rates by the Federal Reserve.
“The exodus from longer-dated US Treasuries accelerated, fueling the biggest selloff since 2020 in what are supposed to be the world’s safest assets,” Yahoo Finance <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/treasuries-fire-sale-sends-long-065717018.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. U.S. Bonds are backed by the government, and the U.S. economy has been the strongest in the world for decades, so investors think the government will not default on them, making them a safe proposition. But they become less valuable as inflation rises, and some investors have been voicing concern that inflation may well result if President Trump’s tariffs are too harsh and are left in place.
On Monday, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/jpmorgan-ceo-jamie-dimon-says-trump-tariffs-will-boost-inflation-slow-rcna199956" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> of inflationary pressure, saying, “Whatever you think of the legitimate reasons for the newly announced tariffs — and, of course, there are some — or the long-term effect, good or bad, there are likely to be important short-term effects. We are likely to see inflationary outcomes, not only on imported goods but on domestic prices, as input costs rise and demand increases for domestic products. Whether or not the menu of tariffs causes a recession remains in question, but it will slow down growth.”
“This is a fire sale of Treasuries,” Calvin Yeoh of Blue Edge Advisors said. “I haven’t seen moves or volatility of this size since the chaos of the pandemic.”
A dramatic selloff of U.S. bonds resulted on Wednesday as investors seemingly lost confidence in the American economy. “The 10-year Treasury yield has risen 36 basis points (bps) to 4.35% this week alone as prices fall sharply. If sustained, that would mark the biggest weekly jump since 2013,” <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/global-markets-tariffs-bonds-2025-04-09/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a> noted. “The yield on a 30-year bond briefly traded above 5 percent,” The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/business/economy/us-bonds-trump-truss-treasury-yield.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
“Markets are pricing a growing probability of an emergency [interest rate] cut, just as we saw during the Covid turmoil and the height of the GFC [global financial crisis] in 2008,” Jim Reid of Deutsche Bank <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/09/dramatic-sell-off-of-us-government-bonds-as-tariff-war-panic-deepens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>.
“There is a temporary ‘buyer’s strike’ in the US bond market,” Homin Lee Lombard Odier Ltd. <a href="https://www.investmentnews.com/industry-news/treasuries-suffer-sharp-fire-sale-sell-off/260049" target="_blank" rel="noopener">theorized</a>. “If the situation becomes more worrisome the US Fed will have some tools it can utilize for market stability.”

U.S. Savings Bond Background

Dramatic Selloff Of U.S. Bonds Hits, Investors Worried About U.S. Economy

Treasury Bonds

Peter Navarro, who is the White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, defended President Donald Trump&#8217;s plans for implementing tariffs on imports ahead of what is anticipated to be a major escalation in the trade war next week.
Trump, who has already issued some tariffs during his second term, has declared that April 2 will be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-slaps-tariff-on-all-countries-that-buy-oil-from-venezuela" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Liberation Day&#8221;</a> featuring a wave of new reciprocal tariffs followed by a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-touts-businesses-coming-back-with-new-plan-for-25-tariffs-on-vehicles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">25% tariff</a> on automotive imports to the United States on April 3.
Polls have shown that Americans fear the tariffs on imports will hurt the U.S. economy and jobs, but during an interview on &#8220;Fox News Sunday,&#8221; Navarro urged people to &#8220;trust in Trump&#8221; as he harkened back to the &#8220;example&#8221; set during the president&#8217;s first term.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RealPNavarro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealPNavarro</a>: &quot;We have the example from the first term. We know that we imposed historically high tariffs&#8230; and all we got out of that was prosperity and price stability&#8230; the Germans, the Japanese, the South Koreans and the Mexicans have taken our manufacturing capability.… <a href="https://t.co/1nII1TVKHF">pic.twitter.com/1nII1TVKHF</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1906342561553301753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We know that we imposed historically high tariffs on China. We imposed aluminum and steel tariffs. We imposed on washing machines, on solar, and all we got out of that, Shannon — all we got out of that was prosperity and price stability,&#8221; Navarro told anchor Shannon Bream.
&#8220;And the reason why we&#8217;re not going to see inflation is because the foreigners are going to eat most of it. They have to; we&#8217;re the biggest market in the world, Shannon,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And they have to be here. They have to be here. And so they&#8217;re going to cut their prices to absorb that.&#8221;
Navarro said the &#8220;bigger picture here is restoring the American manufacturing base,&#8221; adding, &#8220;We don&#8217;t have that. We&#8217;re an assembly thing.&#8221;
Looking back to the 1940s, Navarro said there was &#8220;something called the &#8216;arsenal of democracy&#8217; back in World War II. That was how we beat the Japanese and the Germans with our military might.&#8221;
&#8220;When General George S. Patton &#8220;went to Berlin, it was with trucks, Jeeps, and tanks that were made in the auto plants of the Midwest,&#8221; Navarro continued. &#8220;Right now, the only thing that looks like the Midwest back then is Mexico. You go across the diaspora of cities in Mexico, there&#8217;s football-field-sized — 50 football field-sized assembly plants that are down there making the engines for here. We can&#8217;t do that.&#8221;

Peter Navarro

Tariff Escalation Won’t Cause Inflation; Foreigners Will ‘Eat Most Of It’: Trump Trade Counselor

U.S.

In another sign of the success of the Trump administration, the inflation rate for February came in lower than economists had predicted, with core consumer prices dropping to their lowest level in nearly four years.
“The annual core consumer price inflation rate in the United States, which excludes items such as food and energy, eased to 3.1% in February 2025, from 3.3% in the prior month and below market expectations of 3.2%. It is the lowest figure since April 2021,” Trading Economics <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/core-inflation-rate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Today’s CPI report shows inflation is declining and the economy is moving in the right direction under President Trump. Core consumer prices, which is the best measure of inflation, dropped to its lowest level in FOUR years. This inflation report, much like last week’s jobs report, is far better than the media predicted and the so-called ‘experts’ expected,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/03/winning-inflation-eases-as-job-creation-soars-and-border-security-pays-off/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrated</a> on Wednesday morning.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) at the Labor Department, the consumer price index only rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2%, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.8%. The Federal Reserve has a goal of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/12/business/trump-tariffs-steel-aluminum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reducing</a> inflation to 2.0%. BLS also reported that inflation-adjusted average hourly earnings rose 0.1% in February, up 1.2% from one year ago.
“Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 0.3% increases on both headline and core, with respective annual rates of 2.9% and 3.2%, meaning that all of the rates were 0.1 percentage point less than expected,” CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/12/cpi-inflation-report-february-2025.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“A deceleration in airfares and gas prices helped drive February’s cooldown,” Barron’s <a href="https://www.barrons.com/livecoverage/cpi-report-inflation-data-february" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>. The slowing of inflation might cause Federal Reserve officials to consider rate cuts. “The Fed plays closer attention to a separate gauge that analysts said could show firmer price pressures in February. That reading won&#8217;t appear until later this month, but a third inflation series due Thursday will tell officials where their preferred measure is likely to stand,” The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/cpi-report-today-inflation-stock-market-03-12-2025/card/what-the-february-inflation-report-means-for-the-fed-V7gk6Avq1zLyk5Cu2Y2V">noted</a>. The current policy rate from the Fed rests between 4.25%-4.50%.
“The February CPI release showed further signs of progress on underlying inflation, with the pace of price increases moderating after January’s strong release,” Kay Haigh of Goldman Sachs Asset Management reacted. “While the Fed is still likely to remain on hold at this month’s meeting, the combination of easing inflationary pressures and rising downside risks to growth suggest that the Fed is moving closer to continuing its easing cycle.”
“A lot of this inflation data does not incorporate what is to come and what already has happened for tariffs,” Kevin Gordon, senior investment strategist at Charles Schwab, warned. “The vagaries and uncertainties associated with policy are still a much stronger force in the market than anything CPI-related or in terms of one data point.”
Egg prices rose 10.4% in February, but the Trump administration is addressing that problem; in February, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins <a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/02/26/usda-invests-1-billion-combat-avian-flu-and-reduce-egg-prices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a $1 billion comprehensive strategy to prevent avian influenza (HPAI) and protect the U.S. poultry industry.
“The Biden administration did little to address the repeated outbreaks and high egg prices that followed. By contrast, the Trump administration is taking the issue seriously,” Secretary Rollins stated. “American farmers need relief, and American consumers need affordable food. To every family struggling to buy eggs: We hear you, we’re fighting for you, and help is on the way.”

President Trump Establishes White House Task Force for 2026 World Cup

More Trump Success: Core Consumer Prices Dip To Lowest Level In Almost 4 Years As Inflation Eases

eggs

Trump Administration

When Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he inherited the Trump economy. An economy on the path to recovery from the COVID pandemic – a country experiencing rapid job growth, a strong stock market, and a resurgence in consumer spending.
Instead of fostering this economic recovery with pro-growth policies, or simply sitting back and doing nothing, the Biden administration implemented an economic agenda of excessive government spending, overregulation, and a war on oil, all of which drove inflation and stalled the then robust economy.
Sadly, because of the failed economic policies of the Biden administration, the U.S. economy, and the American people, are facing economic headwinds which may well reach deep into 2025. Fortunately, the Trump administration is pursuing a handful of policies which will return the American economy to strength and greatness, and the American worker to greatness.
The first major economic <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/11/10/trump-policy-stimulus-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">misstep</a> of the Biden administration was the passage of the nearly $2 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) in 2021, which did little except to throw gasoline onto an already hot economy. 
At a time when the economy was on the mend and inflation under control, Biden unnecessarily printed money and poured it into the economy, flooding it with cash. As a result, <a href="https://internationalbanker.com/finance/bidens-economic-scorecard-overshadowed-by-the-worst-us-inflation-rate-in-40-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inflation</a> surged to 9.1% in 2022, a rate not seen since 1981, squeezing household budgets and eroding Trump-era wage gains.
To combat this inflation, the Federal Reserve aggressively raised interest <a href="https://budget.house.gov/press-release/interest-costs-skyrocket-by-152-percent-under-president-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rates</a>, bringing them from near zero in 2022 to over 5% in late 2023, an increase of more than 150%.
<a href="https://www.heritage.org/housing/commentary/biden-killing-the-american-dream-homeownership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mortgages</a> skyrocketed, with the average 30-year rate surpassing 7%, making home ownership all but impossible for first-time homebuyers, and forcing many who wanted to sell their homes to remain in place, creating a scarcity of housing inventory, driving up prices.
During this time, Biden expanded welfare programs, including extending <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/14/biden-unemployment-plan-400-boost-extra-benefits-for-six-months.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unemployment</a> benefits, and illegally forgave student <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-cancels-student-loan-another-150000-borrowers-rcna187453" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loan</a> debts. This discouraged workforce participation, exacerbating labor shortages.
As inflation continued, real wages <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/33790/nominal-and-real-wage-growth-in-the-united-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stagnated</a>, or declined, leaving Americans struggling to pay for essentials such as food, gas, and housing. <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/research-and-insights/blog/sf-fed-blog/2024/05/03/pandemic-savings-are-gone-whats-next-for-us-consumers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Savings</a> eroded, credit card <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/credit-card-debt-total-us-2024/">debt</a> reached record levels, and people began defaulting on <a href="https://www.heritage.org/housing/commentary/biden-killing-the-american-dream-homeownership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mortgages</a> and <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/americans-falling-behind-car-payments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">car</a> payments.
Biden’s war on <a href="https://www.gop.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=766" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fossil fuels</a> and his support of the Green New Deal Mafia contributed to higher energy costs and supply chain disruptions, while depleting the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve, and sending billions to America’s oil exporting enemies such as Iran and Venezuela. 
Biden’s economic hangover continues today, hindering President Trump’s current efforts to reinvigorate the American economy.
<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inflation</a> remains stubbornly high today, at 3% for the year ending January 2025. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/27/weekly-jobless-claims-jump-to-242000-more-than-expected-in-latest-sign-of-economic-softening.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jobless</a> claims are increasing as well, passing 240,000 in the latest report from the government, as companies prepare for an economic slowdown. While energy prices are coming down, Americans are still feeling the price at the pump, as they are at the grocery store, as Bird Flu has resulted in 166 million chickens, turkeys, and ducks being <a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-02-26/poultry-culling-hasnt-stopped-h5n1-bird-flu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">culled</a>, driving the price of both eggs and poultry to astronomic levels.
There is a path to near term economic recovery, and the Trump administration is pursuing six critical paths to economic recovery, growth, and prosperity.
First, the administration is working to get government spending under control. Trump has done this by forming the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, under the influence of Elon Musk. This new organization has already identified billions in governmental waste, fraud, and abuse in one month. It has also worked to make the government more efficient by updating IT infrastructure. If nothing else, the work of DOGE has made the American people feel that, finally, the government may be spending their money in a responsible manner.
Second, Trump is working to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of his previous term permanent. This would stimulate the economy by avoiding the largest tax increase in American history and giving the American consumer the confidence needed to spend and invest.
Third, the administration is pursuing more deregulation. From accelerating approvals for new American factories, to expedited oil exploration permits, reversing regulation removes the chains from American businesses and fosters investment, all of which stimulate the economy in a non-inflationary manner, creating growth.
Fourth, implementing tariffs to protect domestic industries will stimulate the economy and will not be inflationary. As a free-market economist, this pains me to write, but it is needed, especially the reciprocal tariffs on countries who put import tariffs on American goods such as cars, bourbon, and energy. A pro-tariff policy will either encourage direct investment in the United States or level the playing field for American business — either of which will stimulate employment.
Fifth, continue to pursue energy dominance. Rolling back green energy regulations and mandates that currently discourage oil and gas exploration, and hinder energy exports will boost the energy sector, reduce the cost of energy, and provide working Americans with much needed additional disposable income.
Sixth, the administration must continue to control the border and deport those in the United States illegally. The presence of these illegal workers, those who do work, drives down <a href="https://edworkforce.house.gov/uploadedfiles/9.13.23_camarota_testimony_help_subcommittee_hearing_on_open_borders_and_workforce.pdf">wages</a> for American citizens. The removal of these illegal workers will help American workers’ wages grow and recoup the losses caused by inflation under the Biden administration.
President Trump and his administration are pursuing the correct strategies to recreate and surpass the pre-COVID Trump economy. He must continue to act boldly and aggressively to drive these changes as fast as possible and help the American worker.
* * *
Jim Nelles is a Navy veteran and supply chain consultant based in Chicago. His articles have appeared in the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Foxnews.com, and the Daily Wire. He has served as a chief procurement officer, chief supply chain officer, and chief operations officer for multiple companies.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Overcoming The Biden Economic Hangover

American Rescue Plan

Biden Administration

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Economics

Elon Musk

Mortgages

Opinion

Inflation in the U.S. increased 3% in January compared to the previous year, rising for the fourth straight month and presenting an economic challenge for the new administration in the White House.
The <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Consumer Price Index&#8217;s</a> increase was higher than economists predicted, as grocery prices in January also ticked up 0.5% from the previous month and 1.9% year-over-year. The January CPI numbers mark the final report for former President Joe Biden&#8217;s time in office and the first days of the new Trump administration.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report released on Wednesday, &#8220;The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 1.9 percent over the month, as the index for eggs increased 15.2 percent.&#8221; The massive increase in the cost of eggs is due to widespread bird flu, which resulted in a nationwide egg shortage. Along with raising prices, grocery stores across the U.S. have limited the number of egg cartons customers can purchase in one trip, and some restaurants are <a href="https://wehotimes.com/hugos-restaurant-raises-prices-on-egg-dishes-amid-nationwide-shortage/#:~:text=Menu%20items%20containing%20eggs%20will,though%20availability%20may%20be%20limited.">charging more</a> for orders that include eggs.
The price jump for eggs was the largest increase since June 2015 and &#8220;accounted for about two thirds of the total monthly food at home increase,&#8221; according to the BLS. Foods other than eggs rose 0.3% in January. The energy index also rose 1.1% in January as gas prices jumped 1.8%.
Trump commented on the inflation report with a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113991292104953657" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Wednesday morning, simply writing, &#8220;BIDEN INFLATION UP!&#8221; Earlier in the morning, Trump said that interest rates &#8220;should be lowered,&#8221; adding that it would &#8220;go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!!&#8221; The rise in inflation, however, will give the Federal Reserve a reason to keep interest rates where they currently stand.
In his first weeks back in office, Trump has focused much of his economic policy on tariffs and energy production. Earlier this week, the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-imposing-tariffs-on-steel-and-aluminum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imposed</a> a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, which the White House argues will help revitalize U.S. industry and boost production. However, some <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-25-percent-tariffs-steel-aluminum-manufacturing-business-28c1f839" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worry</a> that the steel and aluminum tariffs will hurt American manufacturers and workers.
Inflation skyrocketed to more than 9% under President Biden before gradually falling to 2.4% in September 2024. Since September, inflation has slowly ticked back up each month. After Trump vowed on the campaign trail to &#8220;immediately&#8221; alleviate the stress on Americans&#8217; wallets, the administration suggested that plan could take some time. Vice President JD Vance told CBS News last month, &#8220;Rome wasn&#8217;t built in a day,&#8221; adding that “it’s going to take a little bit of time” before Americans see their grocery bills go down.
&#8220;Donald Trump has already taken multiple executive actions that are going to lower energy prices, and I do believe that means consumers are going to see lower prices at the pump and at the grocery store, but it&#8217;s going to take a little bit of time,&#8221; Vance <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-transcript-face-the-nation-01-26-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CBS News host Margaret Brennan.

Grocery Store

Inflation, Grocery Prices Rose In January Adding Challenges To Trump’s 2nd Term

groceries

Joe Biden

During a speech to the World Economic Forum on Thursday, President Donald Trump said his administration was ushering in a “revolution of common sense.”
Trump, who appeared virtually, slammed the Biden administration during his speech and listed off a number of the executive orders he has made on energy, spending, and the economy. During his appearance, Trump urged Saudi Arabia to lower the price of oil and promised businesses that make their products in the U.S. would benefit from low taxes. 
“What the world has witnessed in the past 72 hours is nothing less than a revolution of common sense,” Trump said. “Our country will soon be stronger, wealthier, and more united than ever before and the entire planet will be more peaceful and prosperous as a result of this incredible momentum.”
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA.." data-sk="tooltip_parent">CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT</a>
During the speech, Trump criticized Biden’s handling of the economy and the border, citing $8 trillion in “wasteful deficit spending,” “crippling regulations,” and record-high inflation during the Biden administration. 
“My administration is acting with unprecedented speed to fix the disasters we’ve inherited from a totally inept group of people, and to solve every single crisis facing our country. This begins with confronting the economic chaos caused by the failed policies of the last administration,” he said. 
“President Biden totally lost control of what was going on in our country, but, in particular, with our high inflation economy and at our border,” Trump added.  
<iframe loading="lazy" title="‘Totally Lost Control’: Trump Levels Biden On The Global Stage During World Economic Forum Speech" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rIAQsBewwJc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;From the moment I took office, I&#8217;ve taken rapid action to reverse each and every one of these Radical Left policies that created this calamity. In particular, with immigration, crime, and inflation,” he said. 
This action included enacting a federal hiring freeze, a freeze on regulation, a pause on foreign aid, creating the Department of Government Efficiency, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords, ending Biden’s electric vehicle mandate, and declaring a national energy emergency. 
Trump also promised that countries that make their products in America would benefit from low corporate taxes. 
“My message to every business in the world is very simple: come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth,” Trump said. “But if you don&#8217;t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply, you will have to pay a tariff.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Trump Tells The World How He Is Going To Turn The U.S. Into ‘Manufacturing Superpower’" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NMyHCDcf2KE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Day Three Of World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025

Trump Promises ‘Revolution Of Common Sense’ In Speech To World Economic Forum

Illegal Immigration

World Economic Forum

Joe Biden has left the building, but Bidenflation has not completely abated. A lot of us are still feeling the inflationary pain at the grocery store. Eggs, for example, went up a whopping 37%. To be fair, this was mostly due to negative supply shocks driving up the actual cost of producing eggs.
That sticker shock was recently compounded by a new “cage-free” law that <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/12/18/michigan-cage-free-eggs-new-law-impact-prices/76966711007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">officially went into effect</a> here in Michigan on January 1, 2025. Farms with more than 3,000 egg layers can no longer confine their chickens in cages, but must give them room to “<a href="https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/food-dairy/foodlaw/cage-free-egg-law" target="_blank" rel="noopener">roam unrestricted in indoor environments</a>.” 
The large egg producers that supply grocery stores have had to take a giant step backwards and rebuild their egg operations at a significantly higher cost structure. On top of that, according to the USDA, bird flu recently killed off over <a href="https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2025/01/14/u-s-egg-industry-sees-record-chicken-deaths-from-bird-flu-outbreak/#:~:text=More%20than%2020%20million%20egg,supply%20since%20the%20outbreak%20began." target="_blank" rel="noopener">20 million hens</a>. The combination of bird flu and cage-free mandates have pushed egg prices to all-time highs.
I’m not here to complain about egg prices, though. Bird flu outbreaks are terrible bad luck, but chicken flocks will recover. Farmers will adapt to the cage-free mandates and the price of eggs will subside.
The egg crisis, however, did reveal a grotesque contradiction in our public policy: In Michigan, chickens now have more legal protections than some humans. I’m talking about unborn babies, who can be killed through all nine months of pregnancy in this state, and in a quite inhumane manner, might I add. This is thanks to some of the most radically pro-abortion policies in the country, enacted in recent years under Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s leadership. Michigan voters ensconced a right to “reproductive freedom” into our state constitution in the 2022 election, which led to the repeal of nearly all abortion restrictions by the state legislature during 2023. According to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, Michigan now ranks as <a href="https://states.guttmacher.org/policies/michigan/abortion-policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“very protective” of so-called abortion rights.</a>
Ironically, just after signing the bills that repealed abortion restrictions, Governor Whitmer established the <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2023/06/01/whitmer-establishes-the-growing-michigan-together-council-to-focus-on-population-growth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Growing Michigan Together Council”</a> to “develop a statewide strategy aimed at making Michigan a place everyone wants to call home by attracting and retaining talent, improving education throughout the state, upgrading and modernizing our transportation and water infrastructure to meet 21st century needs, and continuing Michigan’s economic momentum.” Michigan, you see, ranks 49th in population growth, and even leftists realize that’s not good for the economy. So the state formed a commission to come up with comprehensive solutions to get Michigan growing again.
I’ve got one: Let’s stop killing babies.
Whitmer and her ilk are right that our near-zero rate of population growth is a major problem with massive social, economic, and political consequences. Conservatives have been tracking <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2019/03/27/what-will-be-the-consequences-of-our-plummeting-birth-rate/">declining trends in fertility</a> and <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2019/03/13/dear-david-frum-u-s-population-growth-not-problem-solution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">population growth</a> for years, sounding the alarm about the potential for demographic collapse. Awareness of population decline and its frightening ramifications is finally going mainstream, perhaps thanks to Elon Musk proclaiming that population decline is a much bigger existential problem than climate change. He’s right, of course, and serious people are catching on. Outlets such as the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/u-s-deaths-expected-to-outpace-births-within-the-decade-9c949de8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/06/01/global-fertility-has-collapsed-with-profound-economic-consequences?utm_content=section_content&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAnKi8BhB0EiwA58DA4ct5fzkrQ9sKipRa-wCbLWsfKj-iv6AMak4OoGEIlDl9qyJmXdQC8RoC8DkQAvD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Economist</a>, and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/politics/china-population-us-what-matters/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even CNN</a> are getting wise to the bitter implications of declining birth rates and population collapse.
When people have fewer babies, <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2024/09/picture-this-demographic-decline-andrew-stanley#:~:text=Lower%20birth%20rates%20result%20in,putting%20pressure%20on%20public%20finances." target="_blank" rel="noopener">everyone is worse off</a>. Economically, we get a smaller workforce that produces less output, generates less innovation, and results in lower incomes and fewer opportunities. Politically, we get a shrinking tax base that makes it harder for the government to fund and provide public goods like infrastructure, police, and defense. The population pyramid becomes inverted—more old people than young people. Each working-age person is now financially responsible for a larger number of retirees’ government-funded pensions and healthcare, putting even bigger strains on the welfare state. At a personal level, <a href="https://cosm.aei.org/who-is-happiest-married-mothers-and-fathers-per-the-latest-general-social-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">childless (and typically unmarried) people find themselves increasingly alone and unhappy.</a> The disease has advanced so far that we now have a generation of <a href="https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/americans-are-having-fewer-babiesso-fewer-people-get-to-be-grandparents-a99b6001?mod=Searchresults_pos17&amp;page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">older folks lamenting that they’ll never see grandchildren</a>.
Several countries are entering a “demographic winter,” with more deaths than births and rapidly falling headcounts. Japan, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/japan-news-population-crisis-3-numbers-1954889" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whose population has been in freefall since 2009</a>, offers a sad and tragic cautionary tale on population decline. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/30/japans-rent-a-family-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old people rent stand-in grandkids</a>. In lieu of big supportive families, <a href="https://japantoday.com/category/tech/the-rise-of-companion-robots-in-japan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lonely elders rely on emotional support robots.</a> Young people, men, in particular, are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/20/young-people-japan-stopped-having-sex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">losing interest in sex</a>. The trend ends in civilizational annihilation.
So how do we prevent Michigan, and the United States, from going down the demographic drain? Birth rates in America have been below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman since around 2008. We’ve been able to make up for declining births with massive immigration, which has kept population growth positive. You may have noticed, though, that large-scale immigration—most of it of the illegal variety — is falling out of favor. With a new administration actually enforcing immigration laws, it’s unlikely that foreigners will continue to make up for our birth dearth.
Policy wonks have all sorts of ideas for incentivizing people to have more kids. Many GOP legislators favor boosting child tax credits. Leftists who acknowledge the problem usually want more government-funded daycare or more generous parental leave. The nonpartisan Growing Michigan Together Council thinks the answer is a better statewide education system and more accessible public transit.
Any of these things might have some benefit at the margin, but interestingly (and sadly) I noticed in the Growing Michigan report exactly zero references to the direct solution: more babies. And there’s a really straightforward policy solution to a huge aspect of that problem, which is to just stop killing them. According to state data, from 1982 to 2023, <a href="https://www.mdch.state.mi.us/osr/abortion/Tab_A.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan lost 1.3 million children to abortion</a>. This is surely an undercount since it does not track babies terminated at home via the abortion pill. For the country as a whole, <a href="https://www.nrlc.org/uploads/factsheets/FS01AbortionintheUS.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we’ve lost 63.5 million people to the abortion holocaust</a> since legalization in 1973. 
Numerically speaking, abortion is the primary problem when it comes to demographic decline, and it is entirely symptomatic of the root cause of all our problems: We are sacrificing the next generation on the altar of personal freedom, convenience, and hedonism. Too many people view marriage as a spirit-crushing trap and babies — even live ones kicking the womb — as a call option: If you’re not “in the money” with financial success or self-confidence, you can simply let it expire, and toss out that tiny helpless human like last week’s leftovers.
<h3><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener">CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT</a></h3>
No policy tweaks or monetary incentives will change people’s deeply held values about babies, families, marriage, and the meaning of life. Well-meaning members of the Growing Michigan Together Council are completely deaf, dumb, and mute regarding the actual problem here: we are killing babies, and we need to stop. The real problem is spiritual. It’s good vs. evil. It’s in our hearts. Now that killing babies is grotesquely enshrined as a “right” in many states, it’s going to take a huge shift in cultural values to turn the tide. Recommendations for “improving education” here or “increasing incentives” there just aren’t going to cut it — they are putting band-aids on a tumor.
America needs people. It’s good, right, and proper (and fun) for young men and women to get together, form families, and have kids. We need to return to a basic set of shared cultural values that recognizes and promotes the old normal: get married, have kids, and enjoy the good old family life. Ending abortion would be a huge step towards that shift in values, but it will most likely come as a result, not a cause. While we should keep fighting hard for the unborn and keep seeking legislative wins to protect tiny vulnerable humans, we should also realize that winning hearts and minds will take decades of commitment, personal leadership, and sacrifice. Animal rights activists fought long and hard to enact cage-free laws for the “humane” treatment of chickens — surely we who cherish human life can work even harder to build a culture that protects and values the lives of children, whatever their stage of development.
In the meantime, let us lead by example whenever possible. Get married, stay married, and have kids. Go to church, and pray: for your family, your kids, your friends’ kids, etc. Help the people around you as much as you can, especially with unplanned pregnancies and relationship strife. In the end, a large family and a long marriage are worth far more than any level of career or financial success. With God’s help, we can rebuild a culture of life and family that puts mothers, fathers, and babies at the center of everything. It’s the right thing to do, and it will even be good for the economy.
* * *
Tyler Watts is a professor of economics at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Menu