The Trumped Up Trickle Down Economics Myth

Every time Republicans propose tax changes that might in some way benefit the wealthy, the trumped-up myth of “trickle-down economics” – first coined by a Franklin Roosevelt speechwriter – resurfaces. Immediately after the release of the tax proposal put forward by President Trump and Republican congressional leaders, opponents didn't disappoint.

“Trump's tax plan is a self-serving rehash of trickle-down economics,” headlined an editorial in The Philadelphia Enquirer. “Trump will be selling old Republican idea: ‘trickle-down' job growth,” wrote Victoria McGrane in The Boston Globe. Numerous commentators on television similarly proclaimed the same, contemptuously labeling the “Unified Framework” as “trickle-down economics.”