MAGA Asceticism: Trump Urges Thrift as Tariffs and Screening Policies Stir Economic and Civil-Liberty Concerns

At a campaign-style event in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump suggested Americans respond to high prices by cutting back on nonessential purchases. His remarks — ranging from “you can give up pencils” to “you don't need 37 dolls for your daughter” — framed thrift as a personal remedy for affordability pressures even as he defended his broader economic record.

Trump's Thrift Pitch And The Inflation Context

Trump acknowledged that prices had been high but argued they are now falling from the peak: "I can't say affordability is a hoax because I agree the prices were too high... Our prices are coming down tremendously from the highest prices in the history of our country." There is a factual basis for that claim: year-over-year inflation peaked above 9% in June 2022 and has since moderated. Still, critics say that some of Trump's trade and tariff policies would raise costs for households despite headline gains in markets and retirement accounts.

Tariffs: Policy And Projected Household Costs

Analysts at the Tax Foundation, Erica York and Alex Durante, estimate the tariffs proposed under Trump would amount to an average increase in costs per U.S. household of about $1,100 in 2025 and $1,400 in 2026, and equal roughly 0.47% of GDP in 2025 — the largest such increase since 1993. Economists warn higher tariffs can discourage business activity, force import-dependent companies to alter operations or absorb higher costs, and eventually pass those costs to consumers or trigger business closures. That, critics say, undercuts the notion that simple consumer thrift is a sufficient policy answer.

Visa Waiver Social-Media Screening

U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to require social-media account information as a mandatory element for screening travelers who enter under the Visa Waiver Program (roughly 40 countries, such as Australia, Germany, Japan and the U.K., approved through ESTA). The policy raises practical and civil-liberty questions: how to verify accounts, what content would disqualify applicants, and whether the change is an effective use of screening resources given that these travelers have not been the main source of extremist violence or large-scale overstays.

Other Notable Developments

SpaceX is reportedly moving ahead with plans for an initial public offering that could seek to raise well above $30 billion, potentially becoming one of the largest IPOs ever.

On culture and technology, economist Tyler Cowen argues that alarm about smartphones and social media destroying attention spans is exaggerated; the author of this piece counters that there is a real risk of attention-span bifurcation, where some children grow up with protected focus while others face relentless early exposure to highly stimulating content.

In the Netherlands, regulators are reexamining cases after a rise in adolescents requesting assisted death for severe psychiatric suffering. Public concern over several high-profile approvals has prompted authorities to consider a moratorium on such decisions for minors.

And Pew Research Center data show a generational shift in marriage expectations: between 1993 and 2023, 12th-grade girls' desire to marry fell from 83% to 61%, while boys' interest remained roughly steady (76% to 74%), leaving boys now more likely than girls to expect marriage.

Bottom line: The event highlighted a mixture of political messaging, economic contention over tariffs and inflation, and policy changes — from border screening to corporate finance — that will shape public debate ahead of the midterms.