Remember Eggs?
“I alone can fix it!” Do you remember that was Trump saying. Kalama broke it. He, alone, can fix inflation.
Well, this is going to be a magic trick to end all magic tricks, because what has occurred during the first days of his presidency that will boggle the mind if he can pull it off. (Which he WILL never do. Yeah, I am call it!)
Why? Lets breakdown why.
In one ring, we have the proposed deportation of 13.3 million people, and in the other, we're saying goodbye to billions in federal program contributions from people who can't even access those benefits. It's like paying for a gym membership you're banned from using, except this gym helps keep America's economic muscles from atrophying.
The Great Deportation Depression
Let's talk numbers, because who doesn't love a good mathematical tragedy? The cost of this deportation extravaganza? A mere $315 billion for the one-time show, or if you prefer the extended run, $967.9 billion over a decade (Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget And ..., 2024). That's right, folks - we're spending nearly a trillion dollars to remove people who contributed $96.7 billion in taxes in 2022 alone (Carl Davis, 2024). It's like firing your highest-paying tenants and then burning down their apartments - innovative financial planning at its finest!
The Social Security Shell Game
Here's where it gets really interesting, folks. In 2022, undocumented immigrants contributed $25.7 billion to Social Security and $6.4 billion to Medicare (Carl Davis, 2024) - programs they're legally barred from accessing. They're essentially running a reverse Ponzi scheme where they're the ones getting scammed! And what happens when we remove these contributors? Well, as the U.S. population ages, keeping these social safety net programs solvent becomes about as easy as teaching a cat to file tax returns (Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget And ..., 2024).
The GDP Groundhog Day
Remember the Great Recession of 2007-2009, when GDP dropped by 4.3%? Well, hold onto your economic hats, because mass deportation would shrink our GDP by 4.2% to 6.8% - that's $1.1 to $1.7 trillion in 2022 dollars (Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget And ..., 2024). It's like recreating the Great Recession, but this time on purpose! Because apparently, we got nostalgic for economic catastrophe.
The Labor Market Limbo
But wait, there's more! The construction industry would lose 14% of its workforce (Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget And ..., 2024), and various sectors would hemorrhage workers faster than a leaky economic pipeline. It's particularly impressive timing, considering that 90% of undocumented immigrants are of working age, compared to just 61.3% of U.S.-born citizens (Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget And ..., 2024). We're literally deporting our workforce demographic sweet spot! It's like firing your most productive employees and then wondering why productivity dropped.
The Inflation Acceleration
So, what happens when you combine massive government spending on deportation, lost tax revenue, reduced GDP, and severe labor shortages? Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Inflation on steroids! We're talking about losing $46.8 billion in federal taxes and $29.3 billion in state and local taxes annually (Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget And ..., 2024), while simultaneously spending $88 billion per year on deportation efforts (Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget And ..., 2024). That's like trying to save money by hiring an expensive financial advisor who tells you to burn your cash.
So, in this grand economic circus, we're not just shooting ourselves in the foot - we're hiring an entire deportation force to help us do it more efficiently. We're spending nearly a trillion dollars to remove people who contribute billions to programs they can't use, destroying our labor force, and creating the perfect storm for inflation. It's like trying to fix a leaky boat by drilling more holes in it. But hey, at least we'll have plenty of construction jobs available - oh wait, no we won't, we just deported those workers too!
Remember folks, this isn't just economic policy - it's performance art. And the ticket price? Only the complete disruption of our economy and the destabilization of our social safety net. But don't worry, I'm sure we can inflate those problems away too!
Now remember, tariffs are coming down the pike.
President-elect Trump promises to vanquish inflation with the wave of his tariff wand. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Trump's proposed tariffs would actually boost inflation by one percentage point by 2026, costing American families an average of $1,560 per year (Trump’s Tariffs Would Boost Inflation, Shrink the Economy, CBO Finds, 2024). Oh, the irony! It's like trying to put out a fire by throwing gasoline on it, but hey, who doesn't love a good economic barbecue?
The Numbers Don't Lie (But Politicians Might)
Here's where it gets really interesting, folks. Trump's proposed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, plus that extra 10% love tap on China, would generate a whopping $1.2 trillion in tax revenue through 2034 (Erica York, 2025). But wait, there's more! This economic masterpiece would reduce GDP by 0.4% and kill nearly 345,000 jobs (Erica York, 2025). It's like promising to make your house warmer by setting fire to your furniture - technically true, but probably not the best long-term strategy.
The Real "Art of the Deal"
Remember those washing machine tariffs from Trump's first rodeo? Prices jumped by $86 per unit, and dryer prices increased by $92 (Erica York, 2025). That's right - even your laundry got more expensive! And in a plot twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud, not a single one - zero, zip, nada - out of 43 economic experts surveyed thought these tariffs would improve Americans' welfare (Erica York, 2025). But hey, who needs experts when you have gut feelings, right?
The Great Trade War Sequel
Now Trump's planning Trade War 2: Electric Boogaloo, promising to make everything cheaper by making everything more expensive. The Tax Foundation estimates these new tariffs would be like giving every American household a special gift - an annual tax increase of $625 (Erica York, 2025). It's like getting coal in your stocking, except the coal is also more expensive because of tariffs.
Conclusion
So, can Trump bring down domestic prices with these measures? Sure, in the same way that you can cool down your soup by setting your kitchen on fire. The evidence is crystal clear - these tariffs would raise prices, not lower them (Erica York, 2025). Even economists, who can rarely agree on what day of the week it is, are united in warning that this is about as effective as using a chocolate teapot. But hey, at least we'll all have front-row seats to this economic circus. Just remember to bring your wallet - you're going to need it.
Bibliography
Trump Tariffs: Tracking the Economic Impact of the Trump Trade War. (2025). https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/trump-tariffs-trade-war/
Trump’s Tariffs Would Boost Inflation, Shrink the Economy, CBO Finds. (2024). https://www.budget.senate.gov/chairman/newsroom/press/trumps-tariffs-would-boost-inflation-shrink-the-economy-cbo-finds
Bibliography
Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget and ... (2024). https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/mass-deportation
Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants – ITEP. (2024). https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-2024/
