Donald Trump has a habit of not owning up to anything, ever. If the economy is booming, it’s thanks to him. Now that #TrumpRecession has been trending, the media is now being blamed for the state of the economy.
A recession has been a longtime fear, especially considering how it could hurt his chances at re-election. Many of the “successes” he has claimed have been related to the stock market.
Now, amid the threat of a downturn, Trump and his supporters are claiming the media is influencing the economy. And, allegedly, they’re doing it simply to derail his campaign.
Trump and his advisors have long discussed the notion of there being the potential for a recession during his presidency. However, he has his image as a “successful businessman” to maintain, and he knows what a recession can do. It can outright ruin a presidency.
With this in mind, he’s always had a plan to place the blame elsewhere: his favorite scapegoat, the media. Notably, he is also setting up Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell as a fall guy, too.
Multiple people who claim to have spoken to Trump about the economy say he’s worried that the media could potentially create a recession. One source even noted the tangents on which Trump has embarked about the topic. Allegedly, over the past few years, the president has repeatedly claimed the media would “love it” should a recession occur in his first term.
Another source said that Trump believes “recessions or booms are often self-fulfilling prophecies.” Apparently, Trump thinks that when the media begins pushing stories about the possibility of a recession, it affects people’s behavior. He believes they stop buying as much, start moving money around, and start less small businesses.
“He believes he can will the economy in a positive direction,” the source said, “by feeding optimism to the ‘American Spirit.’”
Pessimistic media coverage, he thinks, is a detriment to the economy – and, potentially, to his reelection campaign.
On Thursday, Trump tweeted: “The Fake News Media is doing everything they can to crash the economy because they think that will be bad for me and my re-election.”
His defenders are now embracing the narrative as well, including longtime Trump-ally Rush Limbaugh.
Yes, the idea they’re pushing is that the media wants Trump out so bad, they’ll stop at nothing. That includes stoking fears and thus creating a recession.
However, Republicans have a history of economic downturn. Not to mention, Trump’s trade wars certainly have not helped the state of things either.
