Perception, Reality, Thankfulness
Hugh Hewitt > Blog
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Jim Geraghty, a definite realist, but no Trump fan, wrote yesterday about economic reality and the fact that Trump’s braggadocio about affordability may exceed reality. The headline was , “You Can’t Spin People’s Perceptions of Their Own Finances.” Geraghty has a point – to a point.
Geraghty admits that location is indeed an issue:
The first item was from KDVR in Denver, Colo., declaring, “Cheapest gas prices in Denver hit less than $2 Sunday ahead of Thanksgiving weekend. . . . Gas prices in Denver are trending down just in time for the busy Thanksgiving travel weekend, with one station in the city even hitting less than $2 on Sunday, according to GasBuddy.”
That’s great news if you live near the Shell station at 7273 East Evans Avenue in Denver.
Indeed. Location matters. Recent IRS data shows the extent of the great migration in this country. Hyper-expensive California is losing one taxpayer a minute. The supply chain can’t respond that fast. Hence goods will be in abundance and prices will come down to move them. Meanwhile, here in Tennessee, we are gaining people at a breakneck pace. Housing prices have shot through the roof in recent years, but are stabilizing since Trump came into office, because we can’t build them as fast as people are coming here.
Geraghty also admits that inflation, while not decreasing since Trump took office has stabilized. That’s a victory after the hyper inflation of the Biden administration. What Geraghty does not acknowledge is that we are still close enough to the Biden gang that people will perceive that normal state of affairs as problematic. Prices going down (deflation) is not a sign of a healthy economy. Geraghty’s right, Trump may not be able to change how people “feel” about their finances, but that does not mean he is doing a bad job on the economy either.
Perception is also a function of other things. The news these days is relentlessly negative. There is a new trend in customers scamming restaurants, an already very risky business. AOC is scamming her donors. And, well, capitalizing on grief is disgusting. When the news is filled with such things, perceptions are going to be less than stellar when the news is good, but not great.
If we teach young people to roll their eyes—or worse—at their own country’s past, while neglecting to teach them gratitude for it, we’re not being fair to them. In fact, it’s a recipe for cultural decline.
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But let’s not leave our national blessings out of the conversation. America has the world’s strongest and most resilient economy. No other country offers more opportunity to climb the ladder of success. We enjoy freedoms that millions around the world would love to have. American companies lead the world in scientific advancement.
Trump may not be able to spin people’s perceptions, but Thanksgiving can. Let’s embrace it fully this year.
