Trump: And, the Lies Just Keep on Comin' — Apparently, No End Anywhere in Sight

His #1 go-to show: Faux Gnus

THE TRUMP LIES JUST KEEP ON COMING:  “Poverty is plummeting” — stated at a recent rally in Las Vegas.

POVERTY FACTS: He's overstating it.

The poverty rate dropped only modestly under Trump's watch, to 12.3 percent in 2017 from 12.7 percent in 2016. At the same time, nearly 40 million Americans remained poor by the Census Bureau's count, statistically unchanged from 2016.

Wealthier Americans, meanwhile, pulled farther ahead last year. Even steady growth over the previous eight years hasn't been enough to counter long-running trends to greater economic inequality.

Income growth was strongest for the richest 5 percent of households, rising 3 percent to $237,034. 

For the poorest one-fifth of the population, incomes rose just 0.5 percent.

The wealthiest 5 percent received 3.9 times the income earned by the median U.S. household. That's the highest on record, dating back to 1967. 

It's true that in the last three years, the poverty rate has dropped steadily by 2.5 percentage points, from a recent peak of 14.8 percent in 2014.

The biggest chunk of that drop occurred from 2014 to 2016, during the Obama administration.

The Census Bureau also considers the impact of various government assistance programs on reducing the ranks of the poor. They found that the food stamp program (SNAP) did lift 3.4 million people out of poverty. Rental subsidies did the same for 2.9 million.

However, and always but, right: Trump and House Republican leaders have proposed cuts in those programs.

More details at the AP report linked above and here. Check it out for more details.

My 2 cents: As I’ve noted before Trump is the #1 liar in American history – how in the world can we continue to tolerate new low standard. 

Not an unreasonable question – is it? I suspect it will continue as long as he stays in office. 

Stay tuned and see. 

Thanks for stopping by.