Understanding Trump’s Tax Claims and Executive Orders
I want to talk about common sense, critical thinking, and distractions. The reason I bring this up is that on social media, people often get excited about statements made by President Trump, especially his staged Executive Orders. Every time he says something, it gets reported, and people accept it as fact. But that’s not how it works in real life. Just because someone says something is a fact doesn’t make it true.
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Goodbye Taxes! But Where’s the Executive Order?
Let’s consider taxes for people earning less than $200,000 a year. President Trump claimed they wouldn’t pay any taxes. Now, let’s apply some critical thinking. He also said he wouldn’t tax millionaires because he’s concerned they would leave the country. If he did, we’d have more services, right? How do you think other countries offer free healthcare?
But let’s set aside the whole “leftist socialist communist” argument people often make because somehow, people equate wanting to be healthy with communism. Again, lack of critical thinking.
If you’re not taxing those who earn less than $200,000 or millionaires, then the entire tax system would rely on people earning between $200,000 and $999,999. Does that make any sense? Of course not. President Trump throws statements out there, and people run with them without taking five seconds to think, “Wait a minute, does this make sense? Is this actually possible?”
The counterargument is tariffs. President Trump and Peter Navarro, probably the only two people on the planet who believe tariffs will pay for everything, eliminating the need for the IRS or tax collectors. But if tariffs are supposed to compensate for the removal of personal taxes, why are people earning over $200,000 still being taxed while millionaires are not? Why would we discriminate against those earning between $200,000 and $999,999? It doesn’t make sense.
There’s no logic or critical thinking involved if you simply accept what President Trump says. You might think, “Great, I don’t have to pay taxes,” but that system isn’t going to work. As they say, he threw out red meat, and people grabbed it without questioning it.
Let’s talk about critical thinking and common sense, especially when it comes to taxes. You can’t have a tax system that only taxes people earning between $200,000 and just under $1,000,000. Think about it—someone earning $200,000 would likely negotiate with their employer to lower their salary to $199,000 just to avoid paying taxes. That’s common sense. It doesn’t make any sense to structure a system like that.
The Barrage of President Trump’s Executive Orders
Now, here’s another point. Why keep talking about this? It’s been mentioned countless times. If it’s such a priority to eliminate the IRS, why hasn’t it been addressed through an Executive Order? President Trump has issued hundreds of Executive Orders—over 120 in less than 100 days, if I recall correctly. Many of them are likely illegal, and some are just memoranda, which I’d call propaganda since they don’t hold any real meaning.
So why not just issue an Executive Order to eliminate personal taxes? What’s stopping him? If we’ve already seen so many questionable Executive Orders, what’s one more?
This ties back to the excitement people show whenever President Trump or Elon Musk says something. It’s like people get caught up in the hype without thinking critically. For example, there’s the promise of a $5,000 DOGE check.” I’m still waiting for that check, by the way.
Why hasn’t there been an Executive Order for that? It would only take five seconds to sign it. Instead, we see Executive Orders banning law firms but not addressing the $5,000 check. And then there’s the idea of giving $5,000 for having a child. Is that supposed to make us rich overnight? It’s absurd.
Let’s be real—$5,000 for having a child won’t cover everything. Medical costs are a much bigger concern, and they’re the number one reason people end up filing for bankruptcy. None of this adds up, and it’s frustrating to see these ideas thrown around without any critical thinking or practical solutions.
Simply put, not taxing those who earn less than $200,000 or more than a million makes zero sense. There’s no logic to such a system. And if you believe getting rid of the IRS is possible because our country was wealthier at the time, here’s a newsflash: it’s not the 1900s.
The Trump Tariffs and Trade War
Now, let’s talk about tariffs. Tariffs don’t make you richer—they make you poorer. Essentially, tariffs are a form of tax. Here’s a simple explanation: imagine I sell pens. To get a pen here, it costs me $1. I sell it for $2 to make a profit. But now, there’s a tariff that adds $0.50 to the cost of importing the pen. So, the pen now costs me $1.50. Am I going to cut into my profit margin to absorb that $0.50? No. Instead, I’ll increase the price of the pen to $2.50. Who pays for that extra $0.50? The consumer does. That’s how tariffs work—they’re passed on to you.
Businesses exist for one reason: to make money. If they start losing money due to tariffs or other costs, they’ll pass those costs on to consumers. That’s the reality of the economy.
Now, let’s talk about Executive Orders. The president has issued hundreds of Executive Orders. Many of them are likely illegal, and many are just plain idiocy. For example, having white South Africans move to the United States to avoid racism. Of course, deporting U.S. citizens doesn’t seem to be a concern.
But, here’s my issue: if the president has the power to issue Executive Orders for tariffs that disrupt the global economy, why hasn’t he issued one to send out the promised $5,000 checks? It’s baffling. Instead, he keeps mentioning it, and people get excited about it. It’s probably the same people who got excited about building the wall and “Mexico would pay for it.” It seems you mention this, and you hear crickets.
And let’s not forget the irony here with free DOGE money. People are getting excited about ideas that sound a lot like socialism—the very thing the right has always criticized. It’s a strange contradiction that highlights the lack of critical thinking in these discussions.
Let’s address this step by step. You disagree with student loan forgiveness, which has proven effective economically, but you’re okay with the idea of $5,000 checks for everyone? Let’s think critically about that.
Are we really saying that someone earning $500,000 a year should get the same $5,000 check as someone earning $15,000 a year? That doesn’t make sense either, but it doesn’t have to—because it’s not going to happen. It’s just red meat. People get excited, but more importantly, they get distracted.
DOGE: The Department That It Never Was
If it makes you feel better to post about it, go ahead. But let’s be real—it’s not based on reality or common sense. And about those “savings” people talk about? Look into them. Elon Musk started with $2 trillion in savings without consulting forensic accountants here. Do you really think a coder, no matter how brilliant, can grasp the complexities of the U.S. global economy and just cut $2 trillion overnight? No. That’s why we have forensic accountants—experts who specialize in analyzing financial systems.
Elon Musk is great at what he does, but he’s not a forensic accountant or a bankruptcy lawyer, just like I’m not a coder. See how that works? Now, let’s talk numbers. He supposedly went from $2 trillion to $1 trillion to $150 billion, just like that.
But if you look up the actual numbers, they’re nowhere near that—maybe 10% of what’s claimed. And when you consider that these “savings” amount to less than 1% of the total budget, it’s clear that the destruction of the economy isn’t worth it. See what I just did? I used common sense and critical thinking.
This is why we rely on forensic accountants, not coders, to figure these things out. A little critical thinking goes a long way. And if you still believe in the idea of taxing only those earning $200,000 to $1 million, think about what happens next. Even if an Executive Order were issued to make it happen, the result would be total economic collapse. You can’t base the entire tax system on that income bracket. It’s illogical, and you don’t need to be a forensic accountant to see that.
Here’s the important takeaway: do your research. After reading what people say—whether it’s written or video content—apply critical thinking and ask yourself, “Does this make sense?” Don’t just regurgitate information you’ve seen or read. Simply repeating it doesn’t make you smarter—it’s another form of plagiarism. Instead, dissect the information critically to determine whether it works or not.
As long as people keep promising you a $5,000 DOGE check or an Executive Order, you’ll keep believing it. But remember, they might be distracting you from bigger issues, like the erosion of due process. Let’s be clear, due process in this country disappeared faster than $6 trillion vanished from the stock market.
Take care of yourselves and stay prepared. Global economists are already saying that a recession is unavoidable, even if changes happen immediately and there’s a reversal of the tariffs. If nothing changes, here’s my advice: start working on your physical fitness, like strengthening your quadriceps and core, because you might need to prepare for standing in long lines.
Think about what I’ve said and take care of yourself financially. Most importantly, practice critical thinking. My mom used to share a wise and sarcastic saying (much funnier in Spanish): “Your head is not just to hold your hair.” Remember that!
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Please note that the information on this site does not constitute legal advice and should be considered for informational purposes only. This transcript was edited for clarity.
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