Ponder for a moment the widespread extent of abysmal ignorance that went into this public presentation. Someone assembled those data, then calculated multiple discounts over 100%. Then someone with graphic design skills created the poster. Someone sets the poster on the easel. Camera crews gather around. And then this "very stable genius" says (and believes) he is offering a 654% discount FFS. Isn't there anybody in the chain of command with the brains (or the balls) to say "this isn't possible."* It's embarassing. Makes me ashamed to be an American.
The TrumpRx website is of course a Potemkin village, giving no details and promising results in 2026.
Images from The Guardian.
*addendum - what I should asked was whether there was anyone willing to tell the emperor the truth about his new (or absent) clothes. I'll blog that fairy tale separately, after this weekend's football games.
Soooo… they give you money at the checkout?
ReplyDeleteNo words.
ReplyDeleteWhile i shudder right along beside you, it must be remembered that he is playing for a lesser audience.
ReplyDeleteThe internet tells me that 77 million Americans voted for him last year, so there is a solution, merely ensure that more intelligent people vote next election.
If there is one.
That's the problem with dictators; they surround themselves with yes-men. Anyone who challenges their views will be disposed of.
ReplyDeleteI love the authoritative sounding "654" number. Anything so precise must be the product of extensive research, etc. Liars can never put enough detail into a story.
ReplyDeleteJust for kicks I fed this question into Google A.I.: "How much is a 600% discount?"
AI Overview
A 600% discount is not possible because it means you get back more money than the item's original price, which is mathematically impossible for a discount. A 100% discount would mean the item is free, and any percentage over 100% goes beyond the concept of a discount.
Here's why and what the calculation would look like:
The formula for discount: The selling price is calculated by the original price minus the discount amount, or: Selling Price = Original Price – (Original Price × Discount Percentage / 100).
Applying the 600% discount: If you tried to calculate a 600% discount, the formula would be: Selling Price = Original Price – (Original Price × 600 / 100), which simplifies to Selling Price = Original Price – (Original Price × 6).
The result: This results in a negative selling price, Selling Price = -500% of Original Price. This is not a discount, but a payment from the seller to the buyer, which is not how discounts work.
Will this make any difference in your support?
DeleteSupport for what?
DeleteI hear tell they've already saved us from more than 258 million fentanyl overdoses.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.factcheck.org/2025/05/bondi-far-overstates-the-impact-of-fentanyl-seizures-on-american-lives/
More from the fledgling Department of Fact Creation: "Due to Donald J. Trump Administration tariffs (2025 alone), 78.34 billion lives have been saved. A sampling: 34 million inflatable pools never shipped; at a minimum of 119 drownings per pool, 4.046 billion lives saved. 604 million golf clubs not imported; at nine bludgeonings per club, a savings of 5.436 billion lives. 77 million gas barbecues not on the US market; preventing, conservatively, 54 million explosions at family gatherings (of 20 or more), saving 1.08 billion lives. In the area of child mortality--choking on cheap Chinese toy parts--President Trump's tariffs have saved over 19 billion young lives."
DeleteI looked for a source (perhaps The Onion?) and got this response from Google's AI: "The statement that tariffs imposed by the Donald J. Trump administration in 2025 saved 78.34 billion lives is baseless and demonstrably false. The numbers presented in the claim are completely unfounded and have no basis in reality. In fact, economic experts have noted that tariffs disproportionately harm consumers through increased prices"
DeleteJust stuff I made up. Retirement mental masturbation. Honored to be compared to The Onion. The A.I. response made my day. Still laughing.
DeleteWell.... Is there a discount or not?
ReplyDeleteIsn't there anybody in the chain of command with the brains (or the balls) to say "this isn't possible."
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that they wouldn't be there if they would say something.
And thanks to Fox' "We report, you decide", the press has collectively decided to just report these numbers and let the audience 'decide' without stating the obvious.
What about a savings like that for coffee? My instant coffee was $2.89 for 8 ozs - it is now $5.39.
ReplyDeleteHe's 50% evil, 50% insane and 50% bad at math.
ReplyDeleteTook me a while but i worked it out.
ReplyDelete654%.
That is 654 per every 100
So you take off 654 units for every 100 units,
100 minus 654 is negative 554.
This is simple maths.
So if your prescription drugs used to cost you say $100 a month, then now they will cost you ....
Ooh boy, now they will PAY you $554 a month ... every month !
This is truly great news for people, and once again goes to prove how wonderfully onerous the Orange King is.
Remember to celebrate his grateness on Saturday the 18th of October, get out there and raise your voice ...
NO KINGS ! NO KINGS ! NO KINGS ! NO KINGS !
Welp, that's MAGA math, for you. Says lot about the education level of his voter base.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, the board does define discount "as percent of final price". Obviously that's not how discounts work, but I'd file this under "lies, damn lies, and statistics," a function of Trump's obsession with "bigger is better," rather than the typical "pure idiocy" that this administration usually functions under (such as the formula used to announce tariff levels on Liberation Day).
ReplyDeleteUnder this plan, you will be able to buy it for $100. Normally, it would have cost $654. So, $100 x 654% = $654. Therefore, you are getting a savings of 654%. QED, secula seculorum.
ReplyDeleteEh? Looks like about an 85% discount to me. The savings is $554.
DeleteMy best guess is that is exactly what they mean, a very dumb and deceptive way to say 85% discount. "The original price is 654% more than current price"
Delete