Trump's hyperbole on showers was ... Trumpian. And it's true, as Josh Barro says, that toilets have improved. nymag.com/intelligencer/…
However.
(You knew there was a however, didn't you?)
(You knew there was a however, didn't you?)
We're in the process of replacing toilets that were installed in 2006 because they don't, um, work. So the problem was not fixed in the 1990s, as Josh implies; the difference is that basically *all* the toilets installed in the 1990s didn't work, while later models vary.
Trump also mentioned showers. And let's be honest: there is no way to make a low-flow shower head as good as a high-flow shower head. You can amp the pressure, sure, but you cannot deliver a *lot* of water at high pressure, as the ones I grew up with did.
"A lot of water at high pressure" being an enjoyable sensation for many people, one they now replicate either by buying low-flow shower heads that are designed to be turned into high-flow shower heads by removing the flow restrictor, or by installing multiple shower heads.
And we haven't even gotten to the washing machines that don't work--as apparently, top load washers no longer do unless you buy a very expensive one. Or the dishwashers that don't clean dishes, partly because they use less water, partly because we took phosphates out of the soap
Many people are experiencing bad showers, dishwashers and washing machines that don't work or take forever to work, and washing machines that have to be run multiple times to get your clothes clean, defeating the purpose of the water efficiency regs.
And some of the people most likely to be experiencing this are lower middle class Trump voters who have in-home washers but can't afford fancy front-loaders, dishwashers (but can't afford a Miele or Bosch), etc.
Now, if those people live in Arizona or Las Vegas, their complaints are stupid, because there's too little water in those places, and one way or another, they need to conserve.
But if you live, as many Trump voters do (and many non-Trump voters!) in an area that doesn't have trouble with phosphate-induced algae blooms, and doesn't have a water shortage, why should you have to stand there and wait for the tank to refill so you can flush again?
Or alternatively, pay hundreds of dollars to reinstall all the toilets in your 90s era home, with no guarantee they'll do the job either? Why should you have to wash your clothes and dishes 2x? Why does your shower have to suck to offset excessive water subsidies in CA, AZ, NV?
It's also worth noting that all their energy efficient appliances break every six-eight years, compared to the old energy hogs that lasted for decades, and they're not wrong to suspect these things are connected.
Pointing and laughing at Trump or explaining how he doesn't know what he's talking about is a particularly stupid version of the Jedi mind trick where you try to convince voters they're not experiencing what they quite obviously are.
I mean, I'm sure Trump doesn't know what he's talking about, because the odds seem slim that this man has priced a dishwasher or a washing machine, or run a load of laundry, in the last three decades. But he has clearly been talking to people who have first hand experience.
