The source of the following letter is an essay by Steven Rattner in a recent New York Times.
It documents some of Trump’s promises to the public and subsequent outcomes.
His economic promise: “We are going to grow like nobody’s ever grown before.”  The reality is that gross national product is down to a weak 1.5 percent growth.
He promised to balance the budget:  In fact, our deficits have passed the $40 trillion mark, and annual interest costs are exceeding one trillion dollars.  The deficits are projected to keep growing, as a result of tax cuts for the wealthy signed into law by Trump. Huge deficits mean, of course, more debt.  It also makes business loans, mortgages, credit cards, car payments, and personal loans more expensive.
Trump said tariffs would be a boon. “Now it’s our turn to prosper, and in doing so use trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt, and it will all happen very quickly.” This is what he said about his tariffs, most of which are illegal and are having to be refunded.
Yet, there’s more. “Energy is going to bring us back.  That means we’re going down and getting gasoline below $2 a gallon.”  Gas prices reached $4.50 in mid-May and remain over $4 today.
 “We will eliminate regulations with the goal of cutting the cost of a new home in half.”  It hasn’t happened.  “Reducing mortgage rates …. We think three percent, maybe lower,” Trump promised. Mortgage rates are struck near seven percent.
He promised to bring down health care costs. “Costs were going way up and now I am bringing down health care and everything else,” Trump says. In fact, the price of health insurance has jumped 26 percent from last year.
Gerry Snyder
Ely/ Simsbury, CT