Many Republican members of Congress are now backing President Donald Trump’s reversal of his 2024 campaign promise to lower consumer prices “on day one,” embracing instead a new era of “shared sacrifice” as his global tariff war drives up costs and threatens the availability—and affordability—of goods.

U.S. Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) is facing criticism for going all-in on promoting Trump’s tariffs and the administration’s claim that “shared sacrifice” is necessary to move the U.S. economy to one centered on manufacturing.

“The president who had promised in his inaugural address that ‘the Golden Age of America begins right now’ was all of a sudden suggesting that ‘there will be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that,'” wrote Politico magazine‘s Jeff Greenfield last month. “Trump’s economic team also chimed in; his Treasury secretary said the economy might need a ‘detox’ period, while his billionaire Commerce secretary said a recession would be ‘worth it’ (and also that his mother-in-law would not mind missing her Social Security check).”

On Monday, Congressman Joyce told CNN (video below), “you know, look, anybody who’s ever chased the one of these dolls, the American Girl doll or the chubby ones that were a big one, in my —”

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“Cabbage Patch Kids,” Dana Bash offered.

“Yes, yes, thank you, Cabbage Patch—when my kids were little—know what an important Christmas event that is,” Joyce explained. “But obviously, you know, this doesn’t stop and start overnight. And so the idea that the Christmas trade is already starting to slow down the progress, and there might be less around, I get it. I think American people will understand that, because American people understand shared sacrifice.”

“But what needs to be explained to them is that China has been eating our lunch.”

“If you ever go back and look after World War II, they’ve slowly but surely stolen all of our steel industry by undercutting us. Spring wire, everything they’ve done, they’ve stolen our technology that’s gone over.”

He described China as “the enemy.”

Critics are blasting Ohio Republican.

“Shared sacrifice?” asked investment banker Evaristus Odinikaeze. “Trump hoards luxury golf clubs while telling kids they don’t need dolls. This isn’t wartime rationing, it’s economic mismanagement and manufactured austerity dressed up as discipline. Don’t gaslight families struggling to afford basic joys. This is unconscionable!”

“WE AREN’T AT WAR!” declared veteran activist and podcaster Fred Wellman. “This is all self inflicted.”

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Entrepreneur and community activist Ann Yarko Orner wrote: “I was told for years that the government telling us what we could and could not have was tyranny by the Republican Party. One of the reasons, I joined the party. Now Republicans sound like Communists. Reagan would be appalled.”

Dawn Smart, CEO of Doré Designs, wrote: “When the bread lines start (Russia during 70’s and 80’s) they will be telling us it’s shared sacrifice again. Never let MAGA call the Dems communists again because what we have happening right now is communism. Unless we act soon, our lives will be very different.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

Rep. David Joyce on Trump saying girls should have fewer dolls: “The idea that the Christmas trade is already starting to slow down and there might be less around, I get it. I think the American people will understand that because the American people understand shared sacrifice.” pic.twitter.com/mnKPwkuvYo

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 5, 2025

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President Donald Trump continued his efforts to concentrate and consolidate power, launching attacks on Harvard University, The Federal Reserve Bank, and on “The Democrats,” including Democratic U.S. representatives who have called for the House to impeach him. Critics, including legal experts, are once again sounding alarms.

In a largely false missive, President Trump attempted to pressure the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, once again threatening the independence of the 112-year-old institution that sets and implements monetary policy.

The President also declared he is removing the tax exempt status from Harvard University, established 389 years ago, making it the oldest higher education institution in the country. Trump’s reason: “It’s what they deserve!”

And, in another, lengthy broadside, Trump lashed out at his political opponents, declaring Democrats “are really out of control,” and claiming they “have lost everything, especially their minds!”

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Trump alleged that Democrats have “two ‘No Name,’ little respected Congressmen, total Whackjobs both, throwing the ‘Impeachment’ of DONALD J. TRUMP around, for about the 20th time, even though they have no idea for what I would be Impeached.”

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) introduced seven articles of impeachment that, he said in a statement include “a sweeping abuse of power, flagrant violations of the Constitution, and acts of tyranny that undermine American democracy and threaten the rule of law.”

Among other criticisms, Trump falsely alleged he had to clean up, as he described, “the Highest Inflation in our Country’s History.” Under President Biden, the highest inflation was 9.1%, less than half the highest inflation in recorded U.S. history, and far lower than at other times the U.S. has experienced.

Trump ended that complaint with this threatening statement about Democrats:

“These are total LOWLIFES, who hate our Country, and everything it stands for. Perhaps we should start playing this game on them, and expel Democrats for the many crimes that they have committed — And these are REAL crimes. Remember, ‘Shifty’ Adam Schiff demanded a Pardon, and they had to use the power of the Auto Pen, and a Full Pardon, for him and the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, to save them from Expulsion, and probably worse!”

In calling for the Fed to lower interest rates, Trump made this claim:

“Gasoline just broke $1.98 a Gallon, lowest in years, groceries (and eggs!) down, energy down, mortgage rates down, employment strong, and much more good news, as Billions of Dollars pour in from Tariffs. Just like I said, and we’re only in a TRANSITION STAGE, just getting started!!! Consumers have been waiting for years to see pricing come down. NO INFLATION, THE FED SHOULD LOWER ITS RATE!!! DJT”

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According to AAA, which published the national average price of gas daily, Friday’s average is $3.18. The price of groceries overall has risen since Trump took office, egg prices at the retail level remain high. Trump repeatedly promised to lower the cost of “groceries” on “day one.” More than 100 days later, he still has not.

Mortgage rates have dropped over the past two weeks, according to the Associated Press, and employment remains strong, but a CBS News fact check published this week refutes most of the claims Trump made.

Political and legal experts sharply criticized President Trump, with many singling out his attack on Harvard as especially egregious.

“That’s blatantly illegal,” wrote New York Times columnist David French, a conservative, about Trump’s attack on Harvard. “Every American who cares about free speech should find this revolting. Is this a power we want to give presidents?”

“This is the President using the IRS to punish people for free speech,” noted former Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer, also responding to Trump’s Harvard attack.

“This is what fascist do,” added The Atlantic’s Dr. Norman Ornstein, the well-known political scientist.

“Trump’s directive to the IRS to revoke Harvard’s tax exempt nonprofit status is clearly unlawful,” wrote U.S, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). “It can’t be done without legitimate cause and the courts will not allow it to happen. But it goes directly to Trump’s attempt to crush dissent and his war against free speech and academic freedom. Any institution of higher learning who he disagrees with and who refuses to bow down to his views he will try to destroy. That is un-American and undemocratic and we must not allow it to happen.”

Professor of Law and former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance, the well-known MSNBC legal analyst, responding to Trump’s Harvard threat, added: “This is what drunk on power looks like. It’s why we don’t have kings. (Also, he’ll lose in court if he follows through).”

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Image via Reuters

Democrats are calling on President Donald Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, blasting the Commander-in-Chief for waiting an entire month to act on SignalGate—widely regarded as the most serious national security breach of his current presidency, and one of the worst since his previous term. On Thursday, Trump responded by effectively demoting National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, nominating him to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

“They’re firing the wrong guy,” Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters, The New York Times reported on Thursday. “They should be firing Hegseth.”

Secretary Hegseth remains under fire for his role in Signalgate. The Defense chief reportedly shared sensitive and classified information with non-authorized personnel, including his wife, his brother, and his attorney.

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Last month, The New York Times reported that sources said that “the information Mr. Hegseth shared on the Signal chat included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen — essentially the same attack plans that he shared on a separate Signal chat the same day that mistakenly included the editor of The Atlantic.”

“Trump is ousting his National Security Advisor Mike Waltz,” noted House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “Next up? The woefully unqualified Secretary of Defense must resign or be fired immediately.”

“It took more than a month for Trump to hold anyone accountable for the Signalgate fiasco,” observed U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA). “Next up should be Pete Hegseth.”

Also responding to the Waltz news, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) wrote: “Now do Hegseth.”

“Waltz is out,” said U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). “Hegseth, you’re next.”

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“Pete Hegseth should be next,” wrote U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT).

It appears that despite President Trump’s admonishment, and his suggestion to not use Signal, Waltz and other top Trump national security officials continue to do so:

Outgoing national security adviser ⁦@MikeWaltz47⁩ using Signal at a cabinet meeting this week with ⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩. ⁦@Reuters⁩ photo by ⁦@evelynpix⁩ pic.twitter.com/Dr0P4YEeJy

— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) May 1, 2025

But according to Fox News, Secretary Hegseth’s job is safe.

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Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin on-air announced that “for now, we understand that the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who shared sensitive, some say classified attack plans on that signal group chat is safe.”

Hegseth “was at the White House today in the Rose Garden, and other National Security Council officials brought in by National Security advisor, Mike Walz will likely be out soon, we’re told, as threats of U.S. Military action against Iran increase. 48 days ago, the U.S. Began an open ended military campaign to destroy the Hootis, and Iranian back proxy that’s been firing missiles at shipping targets in the Red Sea.”

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,” Griffin added, “warned Iran in a late night tweet that its deadly support for the Houthies won’t go unanswered. Warning of military consequences in all caps, a message that sounded like an ultimatum eliciting partisan reaction from the hill.”

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) wrote, “If anyone should get canned, it’s Hegseth.”

The powerful Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) added: “Reminder that Pete Hegseth is still serving in an incredibly important job that he has repeatedly shown he cannot do.”

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Image via Reuters