A clear sign that Trump just made up a number? It's 10,000.


President Trump has a very obvious tell.
It's no secret that Trump is a huge fan of exaggeration, often pulling election results and disaster relief funding totals out of seemingly thin air. But there's one number he leans toward when talking about stocks, jobs, crowd sizes and more: 10,000, Bloomberg reports.
Take, for example, the numerous times Trump has tried to blame his trade war with China for a slumping stock market. "If I wanted to do nothing with China, my stock market — our stock market — would be 10,000 points higher than it is right now," he told reporters Wednesday. That kind of jump would drive the Dow Jones Industrial Average up an unprecedented 38 percent. Trump slung the same number in a June interview with ABC News, saying if the Federal Reserve had rejected rate increases last year, the stock market would also be "10,000 points higher than already a very high number."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bloomberg is sure to point out that sometimes, 10,000 is the number Trump should actually be saying. For example, if he'd like to describe the number of false or misleading claims he'd made by late April of this year, 10,000 would be right on point.
Find out why Trump might be stuck on 10,000 at Bloomberg.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
How to create a healthy 'germier' home
Under The Radar Exposure to a broad range of microbes can enhance our immune system, especially during childhood
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?
Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer cares
Feature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
-
'We need solutions that prioritize both safety and sustainability'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
A running list of all the celebrities Trump has pardoned
IN DEPTH Reality stars, rappers and disgraced politicians have received some of the high-profile pardons doled out by the president
-
'The pattern is similar across America'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
What's next for Elon Musk?
Today's Big Question The world's richest man has become 'disillusioned' with politics – but returning to his tech empire presents its own challenges