Billionaire Trump Offers Odd Advice to Parents Amid Rising Costs: “You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice.”

Donald Trump recently spoke to steelworkers in Pennsylvania and offered unusual advice to parents struggling with higher prices. He suggested families buy fewer toys for their kids this Christmas.

Trump, 79, was onstage talking about his economy and his push to fix what he calls an “affordability hoax.” He says the cost-of-living crisis is not caused by his policies. But he added that families should simply “give up certain products” if money is tight.

He first mentioned pencils, saying children do not need “37 pencils” when one or two will do. Then he moved to toys. He told parents, “You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice, but you don’t need 37 dolls.”

The crowd reacted with mixed looks. Some clapped. Others looked confused. Online, the clip blew up within minutes. People quickly shared reactions to the unusual advice. Many pointed out the gap between Trump’s advice and his own wealth.

Forbes estimates his net worth at $7.3 billion, boosted by media deals and crypto ventures. At the same time, he has decorated the Oval Office with gold-leaf trim and shiny ornaments. Lecturing everyday parents about toys looked out of touch to many.

He kept going, saying saving money sometimes “starts at home.” He insisted that families could handle higher costs by skipping a few items at the store.

Social media, however, had other ideas.

This was not the first time Trump used dolls to defend tariffs. Earlier this year, he said a young girl does not need 37 dolls and could be happy with two or three—or even “four or five.” The number 37 has become a signature line in his speeches.

Before the pencil-and-doll moment, Trump already faced pressure over the affordability crisis. A Politico–Public First survey found almost half of Americans struggle to pay for groceries, rent, health care, and transportation. More than half of respondents blamed Trump.

After the doll comment, Trump shifted to defending tariffs. He said they brought back steel jobs and boosted American factories. He told the crowd that steelworkers are “doing better than ever.”

Trump also highlighted steel production, saying, “And with our historic tariffs, steel production is roaring back. We’re building steel mills all over the country, and U.S. Steel is coming back at a level never thought possible before.”

He added, “I as I said before, billions, billions of dollars they’re spending. And the steel workers are doing phenomenally better. I think you’re gonna do better than you’ve ever done before. You were losing all of your steel. If we didn’t have tariffs, you would have no steel. We wouldn’t have one steel mill anywhere in the United States.”

Featured image via X screengrab