Is the situation within the United States really as bad as Donald Trump makes it seem?

A typical attitude we got accustomed to see when Donald Trump had to reply to certain questions

Donald Trump makes it seem as if the country has deteriorated terribly with the United States during Joe Biden‘s reign.

Depending on one’s perspective and political beliefs one could say the country has moved forwards, whilst others would be able to argue the country moved backwards.

Some may argue that there are significant issues and challenges facing the United States, such as political polarisation, economic inequality, and social unrest. Regarding the latter, many Trump supporters forget that it is precisely that man who is largely the cause of a lot of unrest in the States that he is actually incompatible with. For the past four years, Trump has never stopped taunting his opponents and sending out all kinds of lies spiced with hate language.
Trump likes to cite a witch hunt on him. At the same time, he proclaims that he could end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza in just a few days. Even though he has still not accepted Zelenski’s invitation, who asked him to do so.

Especially in agricultural areas and far from large city areas, Trump is taking the lead and making people believe that their country is in worse shape than when he was president.

In cities and by more educated people, others may believe that Trump exaggerates or distorts these issues for his own political gain.

The quality of life in the United States has generally been improving over the last eight years. Unemployment rates have continued to decline, average household income has been increasing, and the poverty rate has been decreasing. However, many Americans forget that it is because of their own selfishness and their unwillingness to have a state health system that many Americans encounter financial difficulties if they experience a serious medical problem.

But even though many improvements can be seen in the social field, Trump is very black in his reviews and many Americans seem to believe him rather than the figures.

As for inflation, it has been relatively low and stable over the past eight years. Compared to the Americans, we, on that level, have much more to complain about here in Europe and our shopping cart has become a lot more expensive and our purchasing power has diminished considerably.  For the North Americans, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), or the indicator that measures the changes in the price level of consumer goods and services within the United States of America, has shown a modest increase over the years, showing that the average change in prices paid by consumers for goods and services are staying below the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.

The Consumer Price Index for Europe, used by policymakers, economists, and businesses to analyse economic trends and make informed decisions, is at a current level of 127.74, down from 127.95 last month and up from 123.90 one year ago. This is a change of -0.16% from last month and 3.10% from one year ago. The ECB’s Governing Council also considers that price stability is best maintained by aiming for 2% over the medium term, but we are far from it.

In 2022, the highest annual inflation rates among EU Member States were recorded in Estonia (19.4 %), Lithuania (18.9 %) and Latvia (17.2 %), and the highest annual price increases in the EU were recorded for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (up 18.0 %) and transport (up 12.1 %).

Annual inflation in Europe accelerated from 2017 to 2019; decreased in 2020 under the impact of the COVID-19 measures and increased sharply in 2021 and more than tripled in 2022. Price changes in Japan were generally lower than in the EU, whereas they were generally higher in the United States and China, except in recent years. During the period 2013-2022, consumer prices rose by an annual average of 0.8 % in Japan, 2.3 % in the United States and 1.9 % in China.

In the US, inflation has peaked at 8.9% annually in June 2022 according to the CPI, whilst in the euro area, inflation peaked at 10.6% (measured by HICP) in October 2022, again 4 months later. Such levels of inflation had not been observed since the early 1980s in the US and in European countries.

US prices for used cars and trucks soared during the second quarter of 2021 for a number of reasons: new cars, a close substitute, were less available because of a slowdown in production stemming from semiconductor shortages, rental car companies reduced sales of their used cars amid stronger demand for car rentals as the economy re-opened, preferences shifted away from public to private transport, and household disposable income was boosted by fiscal stimuli – pushing up demand for used cars in the United States. The rise in prices for used cars and trucks alone represented, at 1.5 percentage points, around half the increase in US CPI inflation less food and energy from 1.4% in January 2021 to 4.3% in July 2021.
US prices for travel-related and transportation services rose strongly following the easing of containment measures, which has led to a substantial positive contribution to CPI inflation over the last few months.

Whilst food prices have gone up a lot in Europe, in the USA they vary depending on the region, the type of food, and whether it is purchased at a grocery store or a restaurant, but it can be said that generally, food prices in the USA are relatively affordable compared to other countries.
However, some items, such as fresh produce and speciality foods, may be more expensive. Additionally, prices can fluctuate due to factors such as seasonality, supply and demand, and the cost of transportation. Overall, the cost of food in the USA is considered to be reasonable for the quality and variety of options available.
It can be said that ‘eating junk’ or unhealthy foods in the States is a lot cheaper than here, but that people have to dig deeper into their pockets for organic goods and healthier nutrients. So those who are looking forward to eating healthier may be worse off than Europeans who are better off in terms of a health-controlled diet.

Overall, the state of quality of life and inflation in the United States over the last eight years has been positive, with improvements in several key economic indicators.

The concrete figures blame Trump for what he largely trumpets and wants his supporters to believe. Strangely enough, besides Nikki Haley, there are no republican candidates who want to expose that blowhard in their party.
The first woman to have ever won a race in a Republican primary, despite winning the District of Columbia Republican primary with 62% of the vote on March 3, 2024, and the Vermont Republican Party primary with 50% of the vote on March 5, Haley threw the towel in the ring and announced in a speech in Charleston, the suspension of her campaign on March 6, 2024, one day after Super Tuesday, signalling the end of her bid for the presidency.

A major problem in the United States of America is that everything revolves around money and some candidates can only come forward for the elections if they have many millions behind them. Those who do not have much money also have no chance of pushing through to obtain votes to ensure sufficient electoral votes.

Because a large bully can speak highly and no one in his own party dares to compete against him, a very dangerous candidate for the elections of that world superpower will be put forward again this year.

American citizens should know that it is important to critically evaluate information and consider multiple perspectives in order to form a well-informed opinion on the state of their country. They will also have to consider very seriously who they will want to give power to, and whether that person will be able to guarantee peace and tranquillity in their own country and abroad.

In any case, American citizens will have to make sure that if they want that ‘great speaker’ back to power, they will not bring danger to their own country and even to the world!

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Preceding

Expanding opportunities for more American families

The greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history according to Donald Trump

Is he doing it again

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