Trump travels to The Villages for a safe place to brag about the tottering economy
News and commentary from a Florida perspective for all Americans
By J.C. Bruce
President Donald Trump may be wary of appearing anywhere outside the protective womb of his new bloated ballroom, but the next most comfortable destination could be his planned stop in Florida today:
The Villages.
The retirement enclave is home to more than 130,000 retirees, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 3-1.
He’s returning to his adoptive home state for a rally where he plans to brag about the economy and all the benefits derived from his One Big Beautiful Budget Bill.
So, how is the economy really doing?
Substack columnist John Ellis reports today that the national debt now exceeds 100 percent of our gross national product.
Said in the simplest terms, we now have more total indebtedness as a nation than we generate in revenue every year. This is a worrisome milestone because we haven’t been in this much red ink since the end of World War II.
The numbers:
We owe $31.265 trillion.
Each year, we make $31.216 trillion.
Meaning our accumulated debt is now more than 100 percent of our income.
As Ellis notes:
The government is spending $1.33 for every dollar it collects in revenue, and the budget deficit this year is projected at $1.9 trillion. That is little changed from 2025 as Republicans’ tax cuts kick in before their spending cuts take effect.
You can thank Trump’s budget bill for that. But, hey, billionaires need their yachts.
Gasoline prices are now around $4.18 to $4.30 a gallon as the price of oil has surged to more than $120 per barrel and is expected to continue to rise.
Why?
The illegal war in Iran launched by our Peace-Prize coveting president, an illegal conflict that has shut the Strait of Hormuz, which no other president in the history of our country was stupid enough to launch.
And, generally, the cost of everything is up, thanks to the tax Trump has levied on imported products in the form of tariffs, which the Supreme Court has ruled he had no authority to impose.
Closer to home, Florida’s unemployment rate is now higher than the national average at 4.6 percent, and the state’s growth rate (as reported here earlier) is shrinking due mostly to skyrocketing cost-of-living factors.
Back to Trump’s planned bunker on the site of what used to be the East Wing of the White House, a new poll released by the Washington Post shows that 56 of Americans oppose it.
Trump says he needs it so he can be shielded from any further attempts on his life.
I’m afraid I will have to agree with him on one point:
If he thinks it’s best that he not be seen anywhere in public again, I’m all for it.
J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press. He is an award-winning journalist and author. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida.
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J.C. Bruce
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Love your articles. I contact our FL senators regularly. They are Trumpers and must chuckle at my concern. Our Rep is a Democrat but they are trying to redistrict him out. It seems the elections are our only hope…but how fair will those be?
Yep safe place AKA STD capital of the world !!!!!!!