Donald Trump’s platform was clear when he was running for president. He promised to make bold improvements—quickly raising revenue by imposing tariffs on foreign goods, slashing prices at grocery stores, and ending fraud and wasteful government spending through greater efficiency.
None of this is happening.
After a few short weeks, inflation is rising, potentially crushing economic growth. In January 2025, inflation expectations were 3.3%. February’s reading was a shock, with expectations rising to 4.3%, according to Barron’s Business Journal. A jump of this magnitude has happened only five times in 14 years.
Though he tabled early Mexico and Canada tariffs, China’s are in place. To make matters worse, on February 10, Trump unveiled tariffs on steel and aluminum. The next day, the European Union, home to 450 million people, vowed retaliatory tariffs.
Meanwhile at home, so-called “egg-flation” is on the rise in the United States. It is most pronounced in the state of Colorado after a law passed in 2020 mandates that all eggs sold in the state must now come from “cage free” hens, meaning that they get to spread their wings and roam a bit each day.
The law went into effect last month, and combined with avian flu, Coloradoans now pay up to a $1 per egg. In recent years it was $2 per dozen. Labor shortages from frightened undocumented workers staying home are also hurting egg prices.
Although deporting undocumented workers apparently pleases many supporters of the president, the government’s roundups could have an inflationary impact on basic living costs. Migrant workers do our toughest jobs, whether it’s picking fruit, processing proteins like eggs and meat or building Tesla’s Gigafactory.
Fake news narratives paint undocumented workers as a drag on America. The facts show that they pay into our retirement system and Treasury to the tune of $76 billion annually, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. These workers receive no benefits in return.
We are at 4.1% unemployment—a tight labor market. If we lose millions of these workers we will see a dramatic rise in labor costs, and a lessening of productivity.
Combined with tariffs, these actions are stagflationary, contributing to cost increases while slowing growth.
Vulnerable Americans, those who rent and who live paycheck to paycheck, have few options when goods rise rapidly in cost. We import over 80% of our aluminum: Are we prepared for soaring prices on automobiles, electronics and packaged food products?
President Trump won the presidency in part on his promise to fix what he labeled a horrible economy. But thanks to his unnecessary tariffs, the only way to achieve lower prices here at home now is through a recession.
Recessionary periods are hard on people. Job losses, home foreclosures and drug use typically spike during tough times. A recession combined with a trade war hark back to the 1970s, a time when high prices and high unemployment—plus two energy shocks— battered Americans’ wallets and psyches.
Americans were so frustrated during that time that they elected Ronald Reagan, who cut taxes for the rich, emptied our mental institutions and gutted protections for labor. He also ushered in the billionaire class that today includes Donald Trump and many in his cabinet.
Yet there was a time of hope instead of empty promises at the start of Donald Trump’s first presidency. Steve Bannon, a conservative media executive, initially served as chief strategist to the president. His advice to Trump: Shake things up by raising taxes on billionaires and cutting taxes for working people.
Bannon was fired seven months later as Trump passed broad tax cuts, up for renewal soon, for the wealthy. His policies continue to favor the richest in America.
Running for office for the second time, Donald Trump singled out the migrant community for persecution, demonizing them for exaggerated ills in the economy. What never got communicated clearly was that our economy was on a steady keel, with prices steadying along with interest rate declines. Now we’re primed for an inflationary spiral.
Who will do the jobs that migrants do? Where will we source necessary foreign-made goods? How will we build needed housing? Undocumented workers make up 20% of the construction force.
And what is government efficiency when Trump allows people without security clearances to fight fraud by eviscerating federal agencies mandated by Congress?
Dave Marston is the publisher of Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring conversation about Western issues. He lives in Durango, Colorado.
This column was published in the following newspapers:
| 02/18/2025 | Denver Post | Denver | CO |
| 02/19/2025 | Durango Herald | Durango | CO |
| 02/19/2025 | Montrose Daily Press | Montrose | CO |
| 02/19/2025 | Alamosa Valley Courier | Alamosa | CO |
| 02/19/2025 | South Fork Tines | South Fork | CO |
| 02/19/2025 | Center Post Dispatch | Center | CO |
| 02/19/2025 | Cortez Journal | Cortez | CO |
| 02/21/2025 | Laramie Boomerang | Laramie | WY |
| 02/20/2025 | Delta County Independent | Delta | CO |
| 02/26/2025 | KVNF Radio | Paonia | CO |
| 02/18/2025 | Taos News | Taos | NM |
Here’s how Trump’s policies put us in economic danger
Denver Post, February 19, 2025
A Rebuttal
Point of information: Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2025. He has been President for a total of 30 days.
In Dave Marston’s editorial he starts off with the following words:
Donald Trump’s platform was clear when he was running for president. He promised to make bold improvements – quickly raising revenue by imposing tariffs on foreign goods, slashing prices at the grocery stores, and ending fraud and wasteful government spending through greater efficiency.
None of this is happening.
Mr. Marston quotes the January 2025 inflation expectation as 3.3% Donald Trump was President for 11 of those days. He further worries about tariffs on steel and aluminum. I am pretty certain that the aluminum workers in Northwest Alabama are quite happy to be on a level playing field. I am sure that these tariffs will stimulate aluminum can recycling as well. I have been advocating a policy of “Their tariffs on US goods should be our tariffs on their goods” for about 40 years now.
Mr. Marston also throws into this pile egg prices. Donald Trump did not vote in Colorado to require cage free eggs. Contrary to his article, I was paying $6 per dozen for eggs in Buena Vista in 2022-2023 time frame. Why is Mr. Marston attempting to tar President Trump with this brush?
On this issue of ILLEGAL Aliens in the United States, many people are trying to justify allowing this to continue to keep labor costs down. Would you like a real dollars and cents illustration of what this means? In the winter of 2023-2024 the going rate for a hotel housekeeper in Steamboat Springs was $20 per hour. This season it is $17 to $18 per hour. No folks, the cost of living in Steamboat Springs did NOT go down by 10% last year.
Even Caesar Chavez knew that illegal immigration hurt all the farm workers. He knew that waves of people looking for work would simply crush the United Farm Workers Union. So if illegal immigration allows employers to lower wages and exploited illegal aliens, why oh why would you support that? Some years ago, KUSA, Channel 9, in Denver interviewed a Hispanic man about working in Denver. He said in heavily accented English that there was plenty of work in Denver. He and three other adult men were sharing a motel room and could send money home. Folks, my idea of achieving “the American Dream” is NOT sharing a motel room three other adult men. However, their presence does drive down wages. A dramatic rise in labor costs will lead to a much improved quality of life for citizens and LEGAL aliens. This will also decrease the burden on social services needed by the under employed.
If a person comes to the United States illegally and makes no effort to establish themselves as a legal resident, why should they follow ANY OTHER LAW? “Hey, I am here illegally and no one is doing anything about it. Why don’t I just take what I need from the store without paying for it? It’s all the same thing, right? Steal a car? No big deal. Bring in drugs. It pays for my trip.” And on it goes. Convince me I am wrong on this point.
Mr. Marston also worrying about rising prices because of tariffs. He worries about aluminum pricing. We need to recycle a higher percentage. He worries about people living paycheck to paycheck. Now retired, my monthly budget for food, fuel, clothing, and incidentals is $369.73 per month. However, I support tariffs. The revenue raised by tariffs will help put a dent in the 10 BILLION dollars we add to the National Debt each and every DAY! Besides revenue, tariffs will allow US companies to employ US workers at less than slave labor rates.
Mr. Marston reflects back to the 1970s. I graduated High School in 1977, so I was there! He says Ronald Reagan “emptied our mental institutions”. It was a liberal moment that said we should “mainstream” the mentally ill and move them into the community. The real result of this in the State of Tennessee was that the STATE of Tennessee, NOT Ronald Reagan, released mental patients from Knoxville, Tennessee and drove them to downtown Nashville Tennessee and dropped them off at the Union Rescue Mission with no further support or prior arrangement. The Union Rescue Mission had to sue the State of Tennessee to make them stop doing that. I entered the labor force in 1982 and working conditions in Alabama were just fine. Do your job. Keep your job. Don’t do your job, you get fired. Colorado, by the way folks, is an AT WILL state. Your employer can get rid of you whenever they feel like it and no reason has to be given. Talks about protections for labor.
Do you really think you can bribe someone who it worth several billion dollars? This argument goes back to the founding of this country. It was proposed that only “the rich, well borne, and able” be able to vote. I would MUCH rather see Elon Musk helping run the country instead of the former Mayor of Gary, Indiana running the Transportation Department as part of a political payoff for dropping out of the President race. Another point of fact: Gary, Indiana is about the same size as Pueblo, Colorado.
I will turn Mr. Marston’s questions around: How will we exploit undocumented workers who get substandard wages and have poor living conditions if we deport them from the United States? How else will we get the attention of our trading partners when a United States made product has a Value Added Tax added on to it when it is sent to Europe but our European competitor does not have the similar cost imposed on them?
My final word is this: Trump 2.0, which is working FAR better than the early days of Trump 1.0 has only been going on for 30 days. Joe Biden and company had four years.
Paul Everitt
Craig, Colorado
Big reply. Let’s go over a few comments. You praise Musk for cutting federal employees. We have the same number of federal employees now as we did in 1980. Almost 50% more people live in the US, meaning we’re understaffed. The cost of those employees is 4% of expenditures annually. The actual expenses are in defense, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. So get ready; they’re coming for your monthly budget. Assuming you now utilize those federal retirement programs.
Do you think Musk, who rakes in big bucks from defense spending, is going after that sacred cow?
What’s left, social programs that benefit the elderly and working poor, they’ll use the savings to extend 2017 tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. You don’t sound like you’re in the Big Bucks camp. Just don’t be surprised; they’re coming for you.
As for all your blather about wanting to keep out AND protect immigrants. I’d say, pick a side. You sound confused, I saw Hugo Chavez thrown in there, but which is it?
And your desire to pay higher taxes on your purchases and higher prices for your food. You’re in the minority. Maybe keep that to yourself unless you want no friends.
The number one ask the American people had in the last election was lower prices–to attack inflation. Do you see Trump doing anything on that front? If you do, let me know.
What he is cutting, is research into how to corral the Avian Flu. That’s not going to help grocery prices if that genie fully gets out of the bottle. Bird Flu is popping up in places like Grand County, Utah this week. Next week, it could be in the Yampa Valley.
Round Two Mr. Marston:
First of all, you did not read my rebuttal carefully. You write “I saw Hugo Chavez thrown in there, but which is it?” I CLEARLY wrote Caesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers Union NOT Hugo Chavez deceased President of Venezuela.
Work force requirements based on population. Things change. My grandmother was a directory assistance operator in the 1940s and 1950s. All of that is now almost completely on line. Tens of thousands of people are no longer directory assistance operators. Same for gas station attendants outside of the states of New Jersey and Oregon. It is a very bad assumption to assume that a 50% increase in population requires a 50% increase in staffing to provide a good level of service. Wrong again Mr. Marston.
Defense. A LOT of money can be saved in Defense. I grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, the home of Marshal Space Flight Center, Ballistic Missile Defense Command, and Redstone Arsenal to name just a few. Why did the Air Force take the F-16 and the Navy took the F-18? Inter service rivalry was significant in this. The Space Launch System is failing and SpaceX is launching Falcon 9s on a regular basis just to site a couple of examples. I am hopeful that all these NONSENSE disability claims can be addressed. I have seen way to many ex-military who are “medically retired” but very physically fit and very capable of earning a living independent of their disability pay but the gravy train keeps on rolling down the track. I have at least two relatives that fall into this category.
Medicare – I am on it. I pay $185 per month, this year, for Medicare. I still have to pay out of pocket for services. Currently United Health Care is being investigated for “coding” practices. For those of you not familiar with this, think of it this way: If the doctor treats you for a bruise – its $10. If the doctor treats you for a Hematoma (the medical term for a bruise) – its $50. LOTS can be done to make healthcare more efficient in this country.
Medicaid – I used to work for a fellow in Tennessee. He became head of the TennCare which was Tennessee’s Medicaid system He once proposed billing Medicaid recipients ONE WHOLE DOLLAR a YEAR so that Tennessee would know their current address. He was accused of wanting to rob the poorest of the poor for this. Instead, because Tennessee had pretty Medicaid coverage, he spent his days suing the surrounding states for Medicaid reimbursement. Way too many people are working off the books in order to qualify for Medicaid and the rest of us get to pay for it.
Social Security – Highly necessary service. Most Americans have no clue how to save for retirement. Without it, many elderly would simply be homeless and starving to death. This is why I had NO PROBLEM paying into a system that supported my invalid cousin who had MS and my developmentally delayed aunt who has also needed lifetime care. President Biden did away with the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Social Security Administration is still deducting $189 per month because I also receive a Colorado State Pension. First they said it would be one year to fix this. Now the SSA is saying April 2025. We shall see.
Blather? Seriously? I want to keep out ILLEGAL aliens and protect LEGAL aliens who followed the rules and came to the United States for any number of reasons. Otherwise in Colorado, you have people who work at summer tourist locations like Estes Park. They come on what is known as a J1 visa. That allows people to work legally for 90 to 120 days. They put up things like three people sharing a bedroom in a house and only having to pay $500 EACH per month in a house with 10 people! This is employee housing in Colorado folks and these people here LEGALLY!
Let me explain inflation to you and anyone else reading this second reply: inflation is the expansion of the money supply, plain and simple. It is NOT an increase in prices. This is high school economics. Rising prices are a RESULT of inflation, NOT the cause of it. The current National Debt as I write this is 36 TRILLION, 551 BILLION dollars. Back in 1981, Ronald Reagan gave his famous, “I need a bridge loan” speech and took the National Debt about ONE Trillion dollars for the first time since the end of WWII. The rise in the National Debt has been relentless ever since. Just for a comparison, in 1971 a base model Ford Pony sold new for $1,919. Today it would cost $14,941.44. I do not wish to see the United States doing it Weimar Republic imitation when Mark bills were worth more as scrap paper than as currency. So yes, if higher taxes and spending cuts are necessary to balance the budget and pay down the debt, I am very much all for that. The alternative is very ugly. Oh, and by the way, because of the State of Colorado Constitution; no town, city, municipality, county, nor the State of Colorado can run a deficit and the budgets MUST be balanced. Neither can any of these declare bankruptcy. Folks, financially speaking, Colorado would be much better off as a country. Spending cuts and the Federal work force cuts and efficiencies will go a long way to attack inflation to answer your question.
Medical Research. I am a share holder in Annovis Bio. They are only one of a myriad of publicly traded bio tech firms. They just raised 150 million dollars from venture capitalists. They are working on a treatment for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. This is one product from one company. Yes, I am a capitalist. I believe that private industry will find a need and then meet it. If good projects need funding, we the people can fund them directly.
How do I get on the masthead so that my rebuttal of you is not buried in the comments section?
If you plan to reply further, please read my words more carefully so that you do not confuse Hugo Chavez and Caesar Chavez again.
Submit a 750-word essay to us through our portal, and we’ll review it. Have a good lead and accurate, reputable sources, and we’ll review it for publication.
Annovis Bio is a $32-million markjet cap. startup that is trading at all-time lows. Looks like you picked a loser. Nothing in the filings about the $150 million funding round.
You are correct. I wrote Hugo instead of Caesar. My mistake.
Also, you are confusing currency debasement with inflation. Currency debasement is the printing of money(increasing money supply) that causes existing currency to lose value. Look at what has happened since we left the gold standard. Inflation is the rise of prices of goods. Tariffs are inflationary.
Since we enacted NAFTA, poor Americans have seen their purchasing power eroded while the rich have gotten so rich that the top 10% of Americans account for 50% of consumption. We should unwind this inequitable system. That said, it’s a 30-year-old trade agreement and unwinding it over a weekend will cause an economic shock and hurt poor Americans the most. The bottom 60% of Americans account for a mere 19.7% of consumption, except they spend 100% of their income on consumption.
Meanwhile, Social Security and Medicare are soon to see big hits and perhaps privatization. That means big cuts.
The saved money will go for a tax cut for the rich, lower income taxes at top brackets a lower corporate tax rate and more. Savings will come from social programs for the poorest Americans.
If you care about the national debt then you’ll see it explode as the Trump administration raises the borrowing cap while raising less revenue and spending goes down only slightly.
You’ve been conned. Sorry to say. If you thought your losses on Annovis Bio were bad, just see what’s coming.
Great article, “Trump’s policies put us in economic danger”. Thank you!