I asked CHatGPT to translate this week’s economic news into a one act play, but include a role for Trump. This is what it came up with.
Title: Moving Forward with Kamala
Characters:
Joe, the President of the United States
Kamala, the Vice President of the United States
Tom, the Secretary of Labor
Janet, the Secretary of the Treasury
Emily, a journalist
Donald Trump, former President
Act I
Scene 1:
Joe and Kamala are sitting in the Oval Office discussing the latest job numbers.
Joe: (smiling) Today’s job numbers came in higher than expected, with the U.S. adding 253,000 nonfarm jobs in April.
Kamala: (excitedly) That’s great news, Joe! Unemployment fell yet again, to 3.4%, matching a rate not seen since 1969. Black unemployment is at an all-time low of 4.7%.
Joe: (nodding) For Hispanics it’s 4.4%, and for Asian Americans, 2.8%. The rate for adult women is 3.1%. Average hourly wages rose 0.5%.
Scene 2:
Tom enters the Oval Office.
Tom: (enthusiastically) Mr. President, this good economic news didn’t come from nowhere. The Biden administration has focused on building infrastructure, bringing supply chains home, and bolstering new manufacturing.
Janet: (entering the room) The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act have invested in workers.
Emily: (entering the room with a microphone) Secretary Yellen, can you elaborate on how these acts have benefited workers?
Janet: (smiling) The investment in infrastructure and manufacturing has created new jobs and improved the quality of existing jobs. We have also taken measures to promote competition, including negotiating a global minimum corporate tax to stop nations from racing to attract investment by cutting taxes.
Tom: (nodding) The Justice Department has enforced antitrust laws, which has led to a number of directors resigning from interlocking boards.
Scene 3:
Emily turns to Tom.
Emily: (excitedly) Secretary Perez, the Federal Trade Commission has proposed a ban on noncompete agreements, which prevent people from moving from job to job.
Tom: (nodding) That’s right, Emily. The FTC estimates that getting rid of the agreements would increase wages by nearly $300 billion per year and enable about 30 million Americans to move to better jobs.
Kamala: (smiling) This progress didn’t happen overnight. It is the result of the Biden administration’s dedication to building a stronger economy for all Americans.
Scene 4:
Donald Trump bursts into the Oval Office, shouting and waving his arms, but trips over a rug and falls to the ground. Joe and Kamala rush to help him up.
Donald Trump: (sputtering) You can’t keep me out of here! I’m still the President!
Joe: (firmly) Donald, you are no longer the President. Please leave the Oval Office.
Donald Trump storms out of the room, muttering to himself.
Kamala: (smiling) Now, where were we?
The lights fade out.