Megalomania has arrived for Donald Trump, and nobody is going to warn him of the insidious effects of this psychological malady. It could destroy him. From David Haggith at thedailydoom.com:
He’s on top of the world now and changing everything we thought we knew about how things work.
Of course, Trumpworld is sinking rapidly into recession at the same time prices are rising more quickly under the new Trump Tariffs. So, before getting into Trump’s new ways of wielding global power, let’s talk briefly about the “R” word because recession was forming ahead of Trump, but his economic changes assure it will be a major part of the present transition with his own insignia clearly imprinted in the wax. The transformation into stagflation is well underway because inflation never fully went away after Covid and is about to become inflamed all over again by tariffs:
A sign of the times: In a weird twist, restaurants are rolling out recession pricing to try to keep customers coming. The one catch is that, because of recent inflation, those bargains don’t look like such bargains anymore. Counterpoint, the source for a lot of my Doomer Humor, rarely writes about the economy, but here is what they wrote today:
Fast food has officially priced itself out of being fast food. A Big Mac combo now runs north of $11 in some spots — meaning you could practically finance a used car with what you’d pay to supersize your meal.
McDonald’s, in an act of mercy (or panic), is rolling out “discounted” $8 Big Mac bundles and $5 breakfasts, which is like a pickpocket offering you half your wallet back and asking to be thanked.
Some of McDonald’s rivals are struggling even more—Jack in the Box posted a same-store sales drop of more than 7% in its latest earnings report, its steepest decline in 15 years. A Jack in the Box meal now comes with 7% fewer customers, a side of regret, and includes fries so sad they applied for unemployment.
Chipotle, meanwhile, is losing customers not just to high prices but to stingy burrito rolling. Social media has noticed, and the chain’s once-cool vibe now ranks somewhere between Crocs in 2009 and MySpace in 2015.
Into this chaos strolls Chili’s, suddenly America’s hero. For $10.99 you get an appetizer, entrée, and drink — which, in the current economy, qualifies as a Michelin-star bargain. TikTok can’t get enough of the “Triple Dipper,” mozzarella sticks are flying like currency, and Chili’s is the new prom queen of the restaurant sector.
The moral of the story? Americans are discovering that if they’re going to drop $12 a head, they’d rather do it somewhere with real silverware, free chips and salsa, and the faint illusion of dignity. McDonald’s may lure some back with coupons and combo deals, but for now, the Golden Arches have been upstaged by the neon chili pepper. 🌶️
What that tale really says is that inflation pricing has caught up with them. Tricks like shrinkflation—to hide price increases by giving you cuts in quality or quantity at the same old price—have lost them customers. Retail in the restaurant world is starting to hurt, but it’s partially a self-inflicted wound. The quality was already terrible. Now it’s worse than terrible, and the prices have still gone 40% higher than they were pre-Covid.
I wouldn’t eat Frankenfood if they paid me.
Tariffs work when you don’t have a Federal Reserve turd in the punchbowl.
The last one who said peace in our time waved around a piece of paper that Herr Hitler laughed at.