1984 is George Orwell’s cautionary tale of a dystopian society where the government maintains its control by regularly and systemically disseminating false “information” to the people it governed. As I watched Donald Trump deliver his State of the Union address at the end of February, it f elt like we were living an Orwellian nightmare. And that was before March, and Iran. Every president enjoys the freedom to spin his State of the Union. Both Republican and Democrats exaggerate their accomplishments, minimize their failures, and scapegoat the opposing party. We have grown quite used to this. But never before has an American president so blatantly, so repeatedly, and so shamelessly lied to the American people. Let’s start with the economy. Trump claimed he inherited an economic disaster, with record inflation, stagnant growth, and a loss of manufacturing jobs. In reality, The Economist in fall 2024 called the U.S. economy “the envy of the world,” praising how successfully we had rebounded from the COVID recession. Yes, inflation reached 9% during Biden’s term, but in 2024 it dropped to just below 3%, and is now around 2.4%. However, job growth has fallen dramatically, from 1.4 million jobs added in 2024 to just 181,000 in 2025. Unemployment was at 4% when Biden left office, and is now at 4.3%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the United States lost 108,000 factory jobs in 2025 (despite all the Trump tariffs) and the trade deficit in goods grew. Yes, the stock market did indeed hit record highs in 2025. But the SP rose 24% in 2024, compared to 18% in 2025. And GDP grew only 2.2% in 2025, lower than any year of Biden’s presidency, and significantly less than the 2.8% growth in 2024. Trump claimed gas prices are below $2.30 a gallon in most states. In fact, only two states were below $2.50, and the national average was $2.95. Trump did not “lift 2.4 million people off food stamps” — almost all were kicked off by new eligibility rules. Tariffs are not paid by foreign countries. They are paid by the U.S. importer and mostly passed on to consumers. Studies estimate tariffs cost the average American family about $1,700 a year in higher prices. Tariff revenue cannot replace income taxes. The United States collected about $300 billion in tariff revenue last year, compared to $2.4 trillion in income tax revenue in 2024. And tariffs are regressive, while the income tax is progressive. Trump claimed eliminating fraud would balance the federal budget. This is absurd. A 2024 GAO report estimated that even if all fraud could be completely eliminated (totally unrealistic), it would reduce the federal deficit by one-third. And the Congressional Budget Office estimates that Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will increase the national deficit significantly. In 2025, the deficit grew another $1.78 trillion. The CBO projects the deficit to be $1.9 trillion for FY 2026 and $2 trillion or more in 2028. Trump is making our deficit worse, not better. Trump did not inherit rampant crime at home. In fact, violent crime and murders have been declining steadily since 2022. US drug prices are not the lowest in the world. In fact, the median list price for brand name drugs rose 4% last year. Trump has not protected Medicaid. To pay for the tax cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” he cut $990 billion in Medicaid spending. The CBO estimated that 7.5 million Americans would lose their health insurance and another 2.1 million would lose coverage because of changes to the Affordable Care Act. I could go on and on, but the point is simple. The public deserves a president who will tell us the truth. Senators and U.S. House members should demand honest and accurate information. Watching one side of the aisle stand up and applaud as lie after lie is told will not produce a more perfect union. It serves only to divide us further. You cannot rationally choose among competing policy proposals if you are buried under an avalanche of falsehoods. Gene DeSantis is a Kamas resident. The post Tapping an Orwellian nightmare appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less