"Trump's Arithmetic of Make-Believe"
"Trump's Arithmetic of Make-Believe" This is what happens when slogans outrun spreadsheets; an economy governed by talking points, cheerleaders, and numbers that sound impressive until someone asks to verify them. Michael Cohen Dec 13 I’ve said it so many times over the years that it’s practically stitched into my DNA: numbers don’t lie—people do. I learned that lesson the hard way, sitting in boardrooms where confidence mattered more than competence and bravado routinely substituted for balance sheets. Which is why listening to this administration talk about tariff revenue feels less like economic policy and more like a rerun of a familiar con; one I recognize because I used to help sell it. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. We are now deep into the era of what Trump calls the tariff shelf. You’ve heard about it. It’s apparently stocked with trillions upon trillions of dollars; so man...