They Don't Care About You

On May 12th, a reporter asked President Trump how much the financial struggles of everyday Americans factor into his decision-making. His answer: "Not even a little bit."That is today's show. We run the receipts.PolitiFact pulled Bureau of Labor Statistics data 16 months into the second term: groceries, electricity, housing, clothing, medical costs, tuition, and childcare are all rising faster than the Fed's 2% target. Consumer loan delinquencies, credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, are now at Great Recession levels. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department is firing 64% of the staff at the Office of Financial Research, the agency created after 2008 specifically to detect the next financial crisis before it arrives.The US government is spending $88 billion a month on interest payments alone. The financial press is starting to use the word stagflation.But there is real economic resistance happening. The US saw roughly four million fewer international visitors in 2025, a $8 billion loss and the sharpest tourism drop in 20 years outside of COVID. Canadian travel to US cities is down 42%. A majority of Canadians now view the US as a greater threat to global peace than Russia. People are voting with their wallets, and it is having an impact.We also talk about what inverted totalitarianism actually looks like from the inside, why the Iran conflict represents a military and political credibility crisis, and what economic pressure can and cannot do.Finally: the Ignition News is going on pause until June 8th. We are going into production on our Flock Safety documentary and preparing Season 3 of Ignite: Fighting Fascism in the Age of Its Rise. We will be back June 8th. Take care of yourselves out there.