Donald Trump often struggles to point to specific accomplishments in his second term, but at an event in New York last week, the president repeated a claim that on first blush probably sounded impressive.

“In 16 months, we’ve lifted nearly 5 million Americans off of food stamps,” he said. For emphasis, he repeated, “5 million.”

For those who are keeping an eye on the Republican’s record, it was a familiar assertion. In fact, earlier that same day, at Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s swearing in ceremony, Trump also took the time to tell attendees, “Under our leadership, 5 million people have been lifted off of the food stamps. Think of that.”

Not surprisingly, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who oversees the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, has repeatedly echoed the president’s claim, pointing to the developments as evidence of “a better economy.”

The trouble is, the entire pitch is based on a deception: The Trump administration and congressional Republicans didn’t “lift” struggling Americans off food assistance, so much as they simply stopped providing many of those vulnerable people with aid. Or as Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts explained by way of social media, “Trump and Republicans ripped food assistance away from millions of Americans to pay for giant tax giveaways for billionaires.”

That might sound overly simplistic, but it’s basically a summary of what transpired. As The Associated Press reported last week in a fact-check report on Rollins’ claims:

SNAP beneficiaries decreased by nearly 4.3 million from January 2025 to January 2026, according to preliminary government data released by the Agriculture Department. However, experts say new requirements mandated by a massive tax and spending cut bill Republicans pushed through Congress last summer are the primary reasons.

The bill is projected to cut $186 billion in federal spending — 20% — from SNAP over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

This was the largest cut to SNAP benefits in American history, according to an analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Roger Figueroa, an assistant professor at Cornell University who studies food insecurity, told the AP, “What we’ve seen in terms of the data is that the trend in participation declines seems to be related to the program being harder to access.”

Trump’s routine use of the word “lift” makes it sound as if struggling families were put onto an elevator that carried them to a stronger and more secure position. That turns reality on its head: Thanks to the inaptly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the government hasn’t “lifted” Americans facing food insecurity; it’s simply decided to kick them down the elevator shaft, depriving much of the public of food aid.

Republicans seem to think this is worth bragging about. I have a hunch those struggling to put food on the table have a very different perspective — and they’re probably using words other than “lift.”

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