Inflation Perception and the Election Of Donald Trump

We elected Trump because eggs cost so much we’re struggling to buy $50K trucks

Image created by DALL-E

Starting in 2021, I noticed two contradictory trends in America.

• Inflation began rising, and everyone was concerned about it.
• Everyone was spending money like it was going out of style.

Pardon me, then, for questioning the narrative that inflation on its own turned most voters away from Kamala Harris and toward Donald Trump.

Inflation is real. So is the Right’s anger-baiting, fear-mongering, and outright disinformation about inflation.

I live in an impoverished area of southeast Missouri that couldn’t be more MAGA if it tried. I drive through poor small towns and middles-of-nowhere on my way to work, past a stream of Trump signage. I also see some late 1990s Chevy Silverados and early 2000s Ford Rangers on the road. A few of them appear to be held together by duct tape and hope.

But most of the vehicles I pass are $50,000 pick-up trucks and SUVs, especially during what passes for “rush hour.” And every parade through my rural town (pop. 1977) features plenty of $15,000 UTVs, or “side-by-sides,” recreational vehicles designed for “mudding” and bumping along forest trails…