Because Trump is accomplishing virtually nothing as president, but his need for praise led him to make a statement that highlighted the fact that his claim that he inherited a mess from Obama is a lie.
A cranky Trump tweeted:
The media has not reported that the National Debt in my first month went down by $12 billion vs a $200 billion increase in Obama first mo.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
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The President’s gripe goes back to an absolutely absurd story that was published by The Gateway Pundit that claimed that Trump had lowered the national debt by $12 billion in his first month. The story looks like something that could have been planted by the White House in conservative media to make Trump feel better.
Politico reported that Trump’s team plants stories in friendly media in order to make him feel better, “The key to keeping Trump’s Twitter habit under control, according to six former campaign officials, is to ensure that his personal media consumption includes a steady stream of praise. And when no such praise was to be found, staff would turn to friendly outlets to drum some up — and make sure it made its way to Trump’s desk.”
The numbers don’t show that Trump lowered the national debt, and Obama increased it in their respective first months in office. What the data reveals is that Donald Trump inherited a growing economy, while Obama inherited an economy on the brink of depression.
President Trump doesn’t get credit for lucking into a good economy.
Trump has no accomplishments of his own. His presidency is going nowhere, so a man whose frail ego needs constant reassurance is trying to take credit for the good work that Obama did.
President Trump can complain, whine, and demand, but the numbers don’t lie.
Trump didn’t inherit a mess from Obama, and his obsessive need for praise led him to sabotage his false claims of economic accomplishment.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
