Trump Says Kids Should Be Happy With Fewer Toys as He Plans Military Birthday Parade
Barf Bag: "Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls," said the man who might parade 150 armored vehicles through Washington, D.C. on his 79th birthday.
Photo: Getty Images Politics
Our big dumb president, who is notably making millions off his role as Commander in Chief, suggested this week that if his tariff policies make toys more expensive, children can simply learn to do with less. Meanwhile, the White House is reportedly considering spending tens of millions of dollars on a military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on June 14, which happens to be Donald Trump‘s 79th birthday.
Trump’s insistence on slapping huge tariffs on China has both the economic and retail worlds very worried about the possibility of empty shelves and the impact on Christmas specifically. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that factories in China produce almost 80% of the toys and 90% of the Christmas goods sold in the U.S., and holiday toy production is usually in full swing by now. But Greg Ahearn, the chief executive of the U.S. industry group the Toy Association, told the NYT that everyone is pausing orders due to the steep import taxes of 145%, which are effectively freezing the supply chain. “If we don’t start production soon, there’s a high probability of a toy shortage this holiday season,” Ahearn said.
During a Wednesday Cabinet meeting, Trump acknowledged that the tariffs could impact production. “You know, somebody said, ‘Oh, the shelves are going to be open,’” he said, meaning they would be empty. “Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls. And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.” Maybe kids get 30 toys in your (gilded) house, but that is absolutely not the norm. And 145% tariffs could mean toys more than doubling in price. Real man of the people stuff.
Deputy chief of staff and racist goblin Stephen Miller suggested during a Thursday press conference that “almost every American consumer” agrees with Trump and that Americans would rather buy more expensive U.S.-made dolls than ones made in China. I’d really like to know what leads him to think that, especially when prices are expected to rise on all kinds of products, not just toys. People are going to struggle to buy essentials!
“If you had a choice between a doll from China, that might have, say, lead paint in it that is not as well constructed, as a doll made in America that has a higher environmental and regulatory standard and that is made to a higher degree of quality, and those two products are both on Amazon, that yes, you probably would be willing to pay more for a better-made American product,” he said. Also, the U.S. government is gutting environmental and regulatory agencies, so I wouldn’t be making this particular argument.