Published on: Wed, 13 May 2026 17:17:19 GMT
Original Story: Fact check: Trump falsely claims the inflation rate was just 1.7% prior to the Iran war – CNN

“`html

Trump’s Inflation Math: Still Fuzzy, Folks.

Alright, settle in, buttercups. We’ve got another doozy from the guy who thinks tariffs are paid by China and that windmills cause cancer. Our former, and potentially future, overlord, Donald J. Trump, has been out there slinging numbers again – specifically, about inflation. And, shocker, they don’t quite add up. According to Trump, the inflation rate was a sweet, innocent 1.7% before… *checks notes* …the Iran War? I think someone skipped a few history classes, because, last I checked, there hasn’t been an official “Iran War” during his recent presidency. Maybe he’s confusing it with a particularly tense Tuesday?

The CNN Fact Check Debacle

CNN, bless their fact-checking hearts, actually bothered to look into this. And guess what? Trump’s claim is about as accurate as his tan. They pointed out that the inflation rate was nowhere near 1.7% before whatever imaginary Iran War he’s referencing. The actual rate was closer to 2.5% in January 2020, pre-COVID, when gas was cheaper and you could still breathe freely in public spaces. So, where’d he get 1.7%? Probably from the same place he gets his foreign policy advice: his gut, which, let’s be honest, has been wrong before.

A Quick Trip Down Memory Lane

Remember back in 2018 when Trump was bragging about the booming economy he inherited from Obama? He was all about the low unemployment numbers and the surging stock market. It’s almost adorable how selective his memory becomes when it suits him. He’s like a goldfish, only with more access to nuclear launch codes. The fact is, the economy is a complex beast, and pinning it down to a single statistic or a single event is just plain silly. But hey, when has Trump ever shied away from oversimplification?

Why This Matters (Besides the Obvious)

Okay, so Trump gets his numbers wrong. Big deal, right? Politicians do it all the time. But here’s the thing: these aren’t just innocent little fibs. They’re part of a larger narrative he’s trying to build. He wants you to believe that everything was perfect under his reign and that any economic woes we’re experiencing now are solely the fault of the current administration. It’s a classic case of rewriting history to fit his agenda. And, frankly, it’s insulting to anyone who actually pays attention to what’s going on.

The Tariff Tango: A Repeat Offender

Let’s not forget Trump’s undying love for tariffs. He genuinely believed (and probably still does) that tariffs are some kind of magical economic weapon that can be wielded without consequence. He famously claimed that China was paying the tariffs imposed on their goods. This, of course, is patently false. Tariffs are taxes paid by American importers, which ultimately get passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Remember the trade war of 2018-2019? Good times, good times. Trump stated in 2018, tariffs would “make our country rich again”. In reality, they disrupted supply chains, raised costs for businesses, and led to retaliatory tariffs from other countries. It was an economic cluster, and yet, here we are again, potentially facing another round of tariff-induced chaos.

The Ghost of Economies Past

The real kicker is the implication here. He’s not just talking about the past; he’s setting the stage for the future. If he gets back into office, you can bet your bottom dollar that we’ll be hearing a lot more about the “good old days” of his first term. And he’ll conveniently leave out all the parts that weren’t so good, like the soaring national debt, the trade wars, and the general sense of unease that permeated everything. It’s a masterful performance, I’ll give him that. A masterful, manipulative, and utterly exhausting performance.

The Danger of Misinformation

In the age of social media and 24-hour news cycles, misinformation spreads like wildfire. And when that misinformation comes from someone with the platform and influence of Donald Trump, it can have serious consequences. People start to believe things that aren’t true, they make decisions based on faulty information, and the whole thing just spirals out of control. It’s like trying to herd cats, except the cats are all armed with conspiracy theories and a burning desire to “own the libs.”

Snarky Takeaway

So, what’s the takeaway from all this? Simple: Don’t trust everything you hear, especially if it’s coming from someone who has a vested interest in distorting the truth. Do your own research, question everything, and for the love of all that is holy, please learn basic economics. The future of our economy (and maybe even our democracy) depends on it. And maybe, just maybe, someone should confiscate Trump’s calculator. For the good of the nation.

“`