by Paul Krugman Published on December 15, 2024 | [Krugman wonks out](https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/will-trump-be-called-on-his-inflation) --- (*copy-pasted from SiYuan*) Krugman, in the first paragraph, claims that ". . . *this election was decided by low-information voters* . . ." (***when is it not?***) who essentially blame Biden for rising costs in everyday goods, while having no idea that wages and salaries also have risen. Krugman quotes [a survey from 30 years ago that found](https://www.nber.org/system/files/chapters/c8881/c8881.pdf): > "People do not tend to see inflation as a process that naturally tends to affect wages and salaries as well as goods and prices." - (he cites [this as a source to back this up from Social Economics Lab](https://socialeconomicslab.org/research/publications/why-do-we-dislike-inflation/)) Trump played off the electorate's severe retardation incomplete understanding, centering huge portions of his campaign on "fixing" the rising costs of goods. > "From the day I take the oath of office, we'll rapidly drive prices down and make America affordable again . . . Prices will come down. You just watch. They'll come down fast." And you already know that our friendly neighborhood low-information voters ate that shit right up like gospel and without question. However, shortly after winning, headlines started to popup like: > Trump says reducing food prices will be 'very hard,' after campaign promise to cut cost As you might have predicted, The Trump Party's media apparatus were tripping over themselves to cover this shift in narrative and tone regarding consumer costs. Just kidding, they weren't able to make out any words or edits with his balls still lodged in their throats. Reading onward, I was really hoping that Krugman would offer some sort of hope, solace, or prediction that Trump's failure to deliver on this campaign promise will matter at all. Depressingly, Krugman sounds like he's channeling me in almost every conversation I have with someone here in Austin that didn't grow up around Republicans. > "My prediction is that substantial numbers of voters will either deny that Trump he would reduce prices or insist that prices are down even if they aren't."