Trump’s propaganda machine is in overdrive

Trump and his propaganda machine, including Fox News, Truth Social and other conservative media outlets, are working 24/7 to tell Americans how great everything is with him in office. Gasoline is way down—below $2 in some places. Grocery prices have dropped. There’s no inflation. The economy is strong.  Tax cuts and his “One Big Beautiful Bill” are on the way, and Americans love what’s in it. He launched a decisive and incredibly sucessful military strike to keep America and the rest of the world safe from a nuclear-armed Iran. He is deporting illegal alien criminals and other “illegals” in record numbers.  And, he’s keeping our cities and Americans safe by calling in the National Guard and the military to prevent protestors from violence, vandalism, and burning everything to the ground. 

Republicans, and particularly those who identify as “MAGA,” pretty much believe everything listed above. And they are also busy talking with their friends, family members and co-workers about all of Trump’s accomplishments. They’re reaching out to Democrats and Independents they believe have been brainwashed by “fake news” to discount Trump’s successes. 

This may be happening to you. You may feel bombarded with information about Trump’s countless accomplishments. You may even be starting to question your prior assessments. But more often, you simply want to respond to those who are touting Trump’s successes.  And for this purpose the facts are more important than anything.

Ten handy factual nuggets to respond to Trump’s narratives

To that end, I did some digging and would like offer ten factual nuggets. Keep them handy when looking to respond to those proclaiming Trump’s many successes.

1. Gasoline prices are still higher than they were near the end of Biden’s term. In the roughly 5 months Trump has been in office, the average price for a gallon of regular has ranged from $3.03 to $3.26; whereas during the last two months of Biden’s term, regular gas ranged from $2.97 to $3.10 per gallon (see Gas Buddy). So far, Trump is not doing well on his promises to get gasoline below $2.00 per gallon and slash energy prices by half in 12 months. 
2. The price of food has gone up, rather than down, since Trump has been in office.  Food Inflation (FRED, Consumer Price Index, US City Average, percent change from a year ago) was 2.6% in February, 2.96% in March, 2.76% in April, and 2.88% in May.  Under Biden, during the period of May 2024 to January 2025, Food Inflation ranged from 2.05% to 2.5%.
3. The price of eggs is still higher than in the last several months of the Biden Administration.  According to FRED, from May 2024 to December 2024, eggs averaged between $2.70 to $4.15 per dozen; whereas since Trump has been in office, eggs have averaged between $4.55 and $6.23 per dozen.
4. Since Trump entered office, the inflation rate has remained above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%. The Fed primarily relies on the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) for measuring inflation. FRED data show that PCE (percent change from a year ago) has ranged between 2.2% (April) and 2.7% (February) since Trump has been in office.  Trump’s numbers for this index are very similar to Biden’s since May of 2024.  With inflation in excess of 2%, Trump is incorrect when he says there’s “no inflation” (which would be 0.0%).
5. Since Trump entered office, Americans have definitely soured on his handling of “inflation and prices.”  EconomistYouGov polls show that on January 25, 2025, 45% approved of his handling of “inflation and prices” while 39% disapproved.  On June 25, 2025 only 34% approved, while 60% disapproved.
6. The US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrank for the first time in almost three years during Trump’s first three months in office. GDP basically reflects the size and overall economic activity of the US economy. The Bureau of Economic Analysis recently reported that Real GDP (Percent Change from the Preceding Quarter) decreased at an annual rate of 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2025. Under Biden, Real quarterly GDP growth was almost always in the 2.4% to 4% range after the second quarter of 2022. 
7. Trump did not end Russia’s war with Ukraine within 24 hours, and it’s now 5 months and counting.
8. The pilots and military personnel who executed the bombing of targets in Iran did an excellent job, regardless of whether Iran’s nuclear bomb-making capacity was “completely and totally obliterated,” “severely damaged,” or “set back a matter of months.”  It will take some time to verify the exact extent of the damage.
9. On June 7, 2024, Trump congratulated the National Guard for a job well done when it hadn’t even arrived at the scene. Trump thanked the guard in a June 7 Truth Social post for containing the violence and protests in Los Angeles. But the National Guard did not actually arrive in Los Angeles until 4 am on Sunday, June 8. Trump’s post was later edited to note the time as 2:41 am on Sunday, June 8; but the original post was made at 11:41 pm on June 7. Regardless, his post thanked them before they had even arrived.
10. Americans do not, in fact, support the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”  A Fox News poll found that, based on what they know about the legislation, 38% of respondents support the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, while 59% oppose it. A Quinnipiac University poll found that 27% of respondents support the bill, while 53% oppose it, and 20% had no opinion. A KFF poll found that 35% of respondents have a favorable view, while 64% have an unfavorable view. A survey from Pew Research Center found that 29% favor the bill, while 49% oppose it, and 21% said they weren’t sure. Contrary to what Trump and most Congressional Republicans maintain, the Congressional Budget Office and other reputable fiscal analyses (Tax Foundation,  Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget)  conclude the legislation will result in $4 trillion in deficit spending.  The wealthy will receive the lion’s share of tax relief, and the poor will likely suffer because of deep cuts to Medicaid, SNAPS, and other programs.

Conclusion

Trump’s sinking approval numbers are a sign that more Americans are waking up to the propaganda and focusing on the facts. But propaganda theory says that constant repetition of narratives leads people to believe them, even if the narratives aren’t true.  And Trump came from very low approval numbers in his first term, including an insurrection at the Capitol, to win the presidency again.

Trump’s false narratives are reaching every American multiple times per day. This is not a time when we should be sitting by passively just because we know that much of he is saying isn’t true.  Instead, we should be calling out the falsehoods and asking those who believe them to consider the facts.  This may be difficult and messy, but democracy and the future of our country cannot thrive when our President undertakes a massive effort to deceive the populace.