Today is Sunday, November 23, 2025. As Americans sour on the economy and the direction of the country during Grump’s second term, the sitting president still leans on unreality and “alternative facts” as he faces an enraged populace close to the 2026 midterms. An online MS Now (new name of MSNBC) article by Steve Benen entitled “As Americans sour on Trump and the economy, the White House moves the goalposts” details how delusional this president is when confronted with the awful truth.

When sitting down with Fox “News'” Laura Ingraham for an interview last week (which I’m sure most of us would rather watch reruns of the Beverly Hillbillies instead), Grump asserted that the current U.S. economy is “as strong as it’s ever been.” What numbers is he referring to here? But the host did ask a follow-up question: “Why are people saying they’re anxious about the economy?”

Instead of directing his response to that poll, he questioned the premise instead. “I don’t know that they’re saying that; I think polls are fake.” He then retorted, saying, “We’ve had the greatest economy we’ve ever had.”

However, the evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. As the president’s second term crosses the 10-month mark, the unemployment rate is worse; inflation is worse; the national debt is worse; and even the trade deficit is worse.

As a political strategy for dealing with these trends, the president just turns a jaundiced eye to the terrible realities of his policies being implemented at the moment. He prefers to simply tell Americans everything is great – just like Tony the Tiger from Frosted Flakes cereal fame. This horrible strategy is failing for Grump in many predictable ways. Here the latest Fox News poll, for example, found that a whopping 76 percent of voters have negative views about the state of the U.S. economy and that a plurality believe the White House’s agenda has made things worse, not better.

Grump’s approval rating has suffered immensely since he became president. His approval rating on the economy has dropped to a woeful 36 percent.

“The data suggests playing make-believe and trying to sell the public on an alternative reality in which Americans ‘have the greatest economy we’ve ever had’ was a losing proposition.” Finally, voters now aren’t buying what Dump is selling – because their own life experiences are squarely at odds with the president’s hollow talking points.

As the clock ticks down on 2025, the repugnican regime is rolling out a new pitch that will not make any new fans since it’s also based on false truths: Things will be better next year.

To further deliver on this future message of future prosperity, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that he’s “very optimistic” about the “accelerating” economic growth that Americans will see in the third quarter of 2026 (covering July, August, and September).

This was stated last Thursday. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick took a similar message to Fox Business, predicting that the public will see job growth “in the second half of next year” that will “blow you away.”

Considering how terrible this administration has already been on the economy, it’s quite reasonable to have some healthy skepticism over these overconfident predictions of future success. Not only because the repugnican regime’s economic agenda is a mess, but also because some of us can remember the last time these officials offered similar assurances.

In August, for example, Bessent boasted to a national audience that the U.S. economy is “really going to pick up in the fourth quarter” of 2025. Now that we’re currently here in the fourth quarter, most Americans are thoroughly dissatisfied.

In early September, Lutnick said during a CNBC interview that Americans will see robust growth “six months from now.”

Almost three months later, the same Cabinet secretary has pushed out his forecast, apparently aware that the Grump economy will not meet Lutnick’s rosy forecast.

Even Mascara Vance suggested to the citizenry that success is still on the horizon. He asked the American people to have patience during his remarks. What he failed to indicate was that the public was told that it wouldn’t have to be patient since Grump as a candidate said he would deliver results on Day 1. Those results have yet to be fulfilled, as American still have not seen great results by the end of 2025, and now they have been cautioned to wait until 2026! What fucking nonsense!

If there is one thing we’ve learned from this administration is that everyone in it lies through their teeth and the American people are now recognizing it and are fed up with it as the truth is brutally exposed to show them up. Boy, do we need better leaders here after 10 months with this clown in the White House!

As the week looms over us, I must write that Elliot and I will be having dinner tomorrow with my Manhattan cousins “Rivka” and “Dillon” at another Italian restaurant on 83rd Street and 1st Avenue called Botte UES. I will most probably be absent from this page then since we’re first meeting at 7.

Have a good week and see you on Tuesday.

And so it went!

Here is the program and my slippered feet (sorry) of the Big Apple Comic Con from yesterday that I forgot to post.