Democrats think if they shout something loud enough, people won’t bother checking the truth.
And Assemblyman Duy Nguyen is counting on that.
He told a room full of supporters that President Donald Trump’s tariffs caused “the first midsession revenue decline since the Great Recession” and that Gov. Joe Lombardo “embraced” the policy.
He even claimed Nevada is in an “affordability crisis” because Lombardo is “cheering the pain.”
Nice soundbite. Total stretch. Here’s what the real numbers say.
Tariffs Didn’t Trigger Nevada’s Midsession Dip
First, Nevada didn’t go off a cliff because of Trump’s tariffs.
The small midsession dip came from soft gaming revenue and slowed tourist spending.
That came from national inflation pressure built under Biden, not Trump.
The Nevada Economic Forum said rising prices hit travel, hotels, and discretionary spending.
That’s where the softness came from. Not tariffs from five years ago.
And here’s the kicker. Trump’s tariffs hit foreign bad actors, not Nevada families.
They were designed to force China to play fair. Even the Tax Foundation noted that the macro impact was “modest.”
Nevada’s revenue model wasn’t tied to those tariffs. Not even close.
Nguyen Leaves Out The Part That Blows Up His Argument
Nguyen fails to mention two key facts.
One. Nevada revenue was booming under Trump. Booming.
Jobs were up. Wages were up. Tourism was up.
More people visited Las Vegas in 2019 than in any year since 2007, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Two. The only real crash Nevada saw was during the Democratic shutdown of the economy in 2020.
That wasn’t Trump. That was Democrat governors and mayors locking down private citizens while leaving big box stores open.
Nevada’s own shutdown came from Gov. Steve Sisolak’s orders. Period.
So if we’re going to talk about who hurt revenue, the record speaks for itself.
Medicaid, SNAP, Education Cuts? Not What He Claims
Nguyen also tossed out a list of “cuts.” Sounds scary. But here’s the truth.
Lombardo didn’t cut Medicaid enrollment.
Enrollment went down because the federal government ended the pandemic-era continuous coverage rule.
Every state had to review its rolls. Even California. Even New York.
That wasn’t Lombardo’s choice. It was federal law.
SNAP adjustments? Again, federal changes.
When Biden ended the emergency allotments, SNAP went back to pre-Covid levels nationwide. Nevada didn’t invent that.
And the claim about “cuts to the Department of Education” is flat wrong.
Lombardo signed one of the largest K-12 budgets in state history: more than $2.9 billion in new education spending over the biennium.
That’s on top of Opportunity Scholarships, which Democrats tried to gut.
So when Nguyen says Lombardo “cheered the pain,” he’s hoping you don’t look this stuff up.
The Real Affordability Crisis Came From Biden’s Inflation
If Nguyen wants to talk affordability, let’s talk affordability.
Under Biden, Nevadans saw the highest gas prices in the country outside of California.
Rental prices jumped double digits. Grocery inflation crushed working families.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed food-at-home inflation hitting levels not seen in 40 years.
That didn’t come from Trump. That didn’t come from Lombardo.
That came from Biden’s spending binge and the Democrats’ war on American energy.
Nevadans Know Better
Nevada voters aren’t stupid.
We lived through the Sisolak shutdown. We lived through Biden inflation.
We know the state didn’t collapse under Trump.
When Duy Nguyen blames Trump tariffs for a midsession revenue dip, he’s not giving you facts. He’s giving you a story.
A story that only works if you ignore the numbers, the timeline, and the truth.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
