Trump’s Economic Adviser Is Clueless About Americans’ Struggles

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“People Are Spending More” Isn’t a Plan: What Kevin Hassett Gets Wrong About Struggling Americans

On a recent Sunday morning, millions of Americans woke up to the same reality they’ve been facing for years: rent due, groceries more expensive than last month, student loan payments kicking back in, and credit card balances quietly ballooning. On Fox News, meanwhile, Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, offered a very different picture. Asked about families falling behind on their bills and credit card payments, Hassett brushed off concerns by pointing to one simple fact: people are “spending more.”

For anyone actually living in this economy, that comment hits a nerve. People aren’t spending more because they’re thriving; they’re spending more because they have to. They’re swiping credit cards to pay for basics like food, gas, and rent—then getting hit with interest rates that make it even harder to catch up.

This story matters for more than just one tone-deaf TV appearance. It reveals a deeper divide in how conservatives and progressives understand the economy, well-being, and what it means to “do well” in America. And for a progressive dating app community—where people are thinking about what kind of future, partnership, and society they want—these questions are deeply personal. Economic policy isn’t abstract; it shapes whether you can move in with a partner, start a family, or even afford a first date that doesn’t end in financial anxiety.

Read the full article: Trump’s Top Economic Adviser Doesn’t Seem to Get That People Are Struggling (Mother Jones)

What Happened: A Quick Breakdown of the Mother Jones Story

Mother Jones reports on an interview in which Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council and a key economic voice in Donald Trump’s orbit, was pressed about a troubling reality: many Americans are falling behind on credit card payments and struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living.

Hassett’s “People Are Spending More” Defense

When asked why so many households are delinquent on credit card debt, Hassett framed the situation as a sign of optimism and strength. His logic: if people are spending more, it must mean they feel confident about the future. In his telling, rising consumer spending is a positive indicator, and concerns about debt and delinquencies are overblown.

But this glosses over a critical detail: people are not just spending more—they’re borrowing more, often at punishing interest rates, to cover essentials. As Mother Jones highlights, the interviewer pressed Hassett on the fact that families are increasingly using credit cards to pay for basic necessities, not luxury splurges. Rather than acknowledge that reality, Hassett leaned on a familiar conservative talking point: if the macro numbers look okay, the system must be working.

The Reality Behind the Numbers

Mother Jones situates Hassett’s remarks in the context of:

Rising credit card balances as wages fail to keep up with rent, healthcare, childcare, and food costs.
Higher interest rates that make revolving debt more expensive, trapping people in cycles of minimum payments and mounting interest.
Growing delinquencies—a sign not of confidence, but of desperation and financial strain.

In other words, the article argues that Hassett’s “people are spending more” line is less an economic insight and more an evasion. It’s a way to talk about consumer spending without confronting why that spending is happening on plastic, and why so many people are falling behind.

Read the full piece for the full context and quotes: Trump’s Top Economic Adviser Doesn’t Seem to Get That People Are Struggling (Mother Jones)

Why This Hits a Nerve: Lived Reality vs. Elite Narratives

Spending Out of Necessity, Not Confidence

There’s a world of difference between:

Spending because you’re doing well (upgrading your apartment, taking a trip, investing in your future), and
Spending because you’re cornered (putting groceries, car repairs, or medical bills on a credit card because you don’t have enough cash).

Hassett erases that difference. In his framing, all spending is good spending because it props up the GDP numbers. But for progressives—and for anyone actually trying to build a life in this economy—the distinction is everything. It’s the difference between thriving and treading water while the tide rises.

When you and your partner are sitting at the kitchen table deciding which bill gets paid late this month, the fact that “consumer spending is up” doesn’t feel like a win. It feels like gaslighting.

The Emotional Toll of Economic Spin

There’s also a psychological dimension. When top officials insist that rising spending means people are “optimistic,” it sends a subtle message: if you’re stressed, anxious, or drowning in debt, maybe the problem is you. Maybe you’re just bad with money. Maybe you’re not hustling hard enough.

Progressives reject that narrative. We understand that individual budgeting choices matter—but they matter inside a system. If rent eats half your paycheck, if healthcare is tied to a job you hate, if childcare costs as much as a second rent, no amount of “latte shaming” is going to fix your finances.

What Progressives See That Hassett Doesn’t

Economies Are for People, Not Just Charts

Conservative economic talking heads often treat the economy like a scoreboard: GDP up? Stock market up? Consumer spending up? Then things must be fine. Progressives take a different view: an economy is healthy only if people are living with dignity and security.

That means asking questions like:

Can people pay rent without taking on debt?
Can they afford healthcare without risking bankruptcy?
Can they start a family or move in with a partner without financial panic?
Do they have time and energy left over for community, love, and joy?

By those measures, “people are spending more” tells us almost nothing. We need to know how they’re spending, why, and at what cost.

The Structural Roots of “Overspending”

Progressives also focus on structural causes, not just individual behavior. When credit card balances and delinquencies rise, it’s not because millions of people suddenly became irresponsible. It’s because:

Wages have lagged behind productivity and profits for decades, leaving workers with less real buying power.
Essential costs—housing, healthcare, education, childcare—have skyrocketed, forcing families to cover the gap with debt.
Public safety nets are thin, so one emergency (a broken car, a medical bill, a layoff) can push people into long-term debt.

In that context, Hassett’s comment isn’t just out of touch—it’s an attempt to reframe a crisis as a success story.

Connecting the Dots: From Reaganomics to Trumpism

A Long History of Blaming People, Not Policy

Hassett’s framing fits into a decades-long conservative tradition. From Reagan’s “welfare queen” myth to attacks on “entitlement culture,” the right has consistently blamed individuals for systemic failures. If you’re struggling, it’s because you made bad choices—not because the rules of the game are rigged.

Trump’s economic advisors, including Hassett, are heirs to this ideology. They celebrate tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, deregulation, and a weakened safety net, then point to aggregate spending as proof that everything’s fine. When cracks appear—like rising debt and delinquencies—they insist the data is being misread, or that people are simply “more confident.”

Progressive Movements Have Been Calling This Out

Progressive movements—labor organizers, racial justice advocates, housing activists, debt strikes, and more—have long argued that:

Economic pain is not random; it’s designed into the system.
Debt is often a tool of control, not just a personal financial product.
We can choose policies that prioritize people over profits.

The Mother Jones story adds another data point to that narrative: when confronted with clear evidence that people are struggling, the response from Trump’s camp is not empathy or policy solutions; it’s spin.

Why This Matters for Relationships, Dating, and Daily Life

Money Stress Is Relationship Stress

For people navigating dating and relationships today, economic reality is not background noise—it’s a central plot line. Money stress is consistently one of the top causes of conflict in relationships. When the cost of living rises faster than paychecks, couples face tough choices:

Delay moving in together because you can’t afford a bigger place.
Postpone marriage or having kids due to financial insecurity.
Take on extra gigs, leaving less time and emotional bandwidth for your partner.

In that context, hearing a top economic adviser say “people are spending more” as if that’s automatically good news can feel infuriating. It erases the emotional labor and constant calculation that so many couples and singles are doing just to stay afloat.

Progressive Values in Love and Policy

Progressives tend to bring their values into their relationships: mutual care, fairness, consent, shared decision-making. Those values naturally extend to how we think about the economy. If you believe that a healthy relationship means both partners feel safe, respected, and supported, it’s not a stretch to believe that a healthy society should offer the same.

That’s why stories like this resonate. They highlight a mismatch between what people need—stability, affordability, a chance to build a future—and what conservative policymakers are willing to acknowledge.

Different Angles on Hassett’s Comment

The “Macro Data” Defense

To be fair, some economists and conservative commentators might defend Hassett by saying he’s simply referencing macroeconomic indicators: consumer spending really is a major driver of GDP, and rising spending can signal economic growth

Photo by Andrew Valdivia on Unsplash