It’s safe to say that everyday life isn’t great right now. Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or neither, you’ll have been hit by skyrocketing gas prices and the consequential economic instability that’s driving up prices across the board.
You’re forgiven for waking up each morning and checking the news with a sense of foreboding, wondering in what way the world has gotten worse overnight. Polls bear this out, with the overall “Happiness Index” for Americans at just 31%, and other data indicate a long-term decline in general happiness among Americans, with young adults particularly gloomy about their future.
But don’t worry! According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the unhappiness you’re feeling is just an illusion! In fact, while you might not be able to feel it, you’re actually happier than ever! Finally, some good news!
Bessent was asked why people are miserable about the economy. He smiled and explained that, actually, they’re not:
Q: Why aren't people feeling better about the economy?
— FactPost (@factpostnews) April 16, 2026
Bessent: Well, in their heart of hearts, they feel good. I'm not sure what they're telling the survey people. pic.twitter.com/AQmTv2PPAD
Bessent explained that while regular folk might say they’re unhappy, their economic actions don’t reflect that. The reporter tried to clarify, “So they might not feel good… but?”
“Well, in their heart of hearts, they feel good. I’m not sure what they’re telling the survey people.”
Hey Scott, any estimate on when I’ll start to feel happier?
Well, there you have it. If you’re downbeat about the skyrocketing price of putting gas in the tank, figuring out a way to make an already stretched budget go further so you can feed your family, or long-term unemployed with no job offers, just look into your “heart of hearts” and you’ll discover that – unbeknownst to you – you actually “feel good”.
The replies to that post indicate that, shockingly, many disagree. One pointed comment says: “Love it when someone worth half a billion dollars tells us we’re all just fine“, another calls out cult-like thinking: “This is called a cult. “Nevermind what you see and feel, it’s not real”. And, in a neat summary of the situation:
“Creepy out of touch hedge fund ghoul Bessent (net worth $600 mil & rising) is the ultimate gas lighter. “You’re actually not broke, stressed & struggling to eat & keep a roof over your heard… deep down in your “heart of hearts”, you’re rich beyond your wildest dreams.”
To give some credit to Bessent, this is exactly in keeping with the Trump administration’s longtime tactic of simply denying reality by pretending bad things aren’t happening.
Trump himself was directly asked by a voter last year why grocery prices were still high, despite his repeated vows to bring them down. His response? “We’ve got prices way down.” Could have fooled me!
In a similar vein, last year the Bureau of Economic Analysis confirmed that it simply wouldn’t publish the figures for America’s gross domestic product for the third quarter of 2025. Who knows, maybe the news about the economy was so good it would have scared people?
Perhaps the economy is thriving! Who can possibly say? Let’s stick our heads firmly into the sand and pretend it is, and that everyone will soon realize they were actually really happy all along!
Published: Apr 17, 2026 07:32 am