Krugman looks at the incredibly disturbing phenomenon of Republicans fanning out all overt television this week to tell viewers that the price of gas is way down. I’m not kidding:
No, there is a huge spike in gas prices as you can see by that chart above.
Why, then, do Republicans believe that these lies will work for them politically?
Part of the explanation is their belief that they can flush the majority of Joe Biden’s presidency down the memory hole, that they can pretend that Trump took office just after the inflation surge of 2021-2022, not after the “immaculate disinflation” — falling inflation without high unemployment — that followed. ..
Will these games with the timeline persuade voters that Trump is actually doing a good job on prices? No. That ship has already sailed (and sunk). As the chart at the top of this post shows, independents disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living by a remarkable 5-to-1 margin, and false claims on Fox News won’t change that.
So what’s the purpose of these MAGA lies? The answer, of course, is that they’re aimed at an audience of one. Voters know that gas prices are way up and that inflation is elevated, but Donald Trump, swaddled in his Mar-a-Lago bubble, doesn’t. Trump says that we have no inflation. He recently insisted that inflation was 5 percent at the end of Biden’s term and took credit for falling inflation before he took office. So Republicans determined to say whatever he wants to hear — which means everyone still in the party — feel obliged to praise his inflation record, the facts be damned.
It’s hard to imagine how this insane dynamic can continue but apparently, they’re still convinced that failing to slavishly lick Trump’s boots will be a death blow to their careers — or they want in on the grift. I’m guessing more of the latter are out there than we might think.