If Donald Trump expected to be riding high as his second term reached the 100-day benchmark, the president has a great many reasons to be disappointed. The economy is shrinking. The stock market is reeling. The trade deficit is climbing. Federal spending is climbing. His poll numbers are sinking.

Among other things, these conditions create a test of the Republican incumbent’s political skills. How does he turn things around? What kind of message does he bring to the public?

It was against this backdrop that The New York Times reported on one of the more memorable moments from the latest White House Cabinet meeting.

President Trump has a message for the nation’s children: Prepare to sacrifice for your country. He was taking questions at the end of one of his marathon cabinet meetings when he finally allowed that, yes, his tariff policies and the trade war he has set off with China may soon result in some emptier-than-usual shelves in stores. Specifically, toy stores.

“You know, somebody said, ‘Oh, the shelves are going to be open,’” Trump said. “Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know? And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.”

Given the frequency with which the president lies about matters large and small, it was refreshing, at least to a degree, to hear him make policy comments that were largely true. His trade tariffs are very likely to mean fewer choices for consumers and higher prices on consumer goods — including children’s toys.

But that didn’t make the broader political dynamic any more tolerable.

The Times’ report added, in reference to Trump’s assessment, “This, from the billionaire, crypto-salesman, golf-club-operating, Palm Beach-by-way-of-Fifth Avenue president with the golden office and the golden triplex apartment. There he sat, surrounded by the other billionaires with whom he has filled his cabinet, telling the boys and girls of America they’ll just have to make do with fewer toys this year for the greater good.”

Complicating matters is that the public might not fully appreciate — at least not yet — the practical implications of the White House’s preferred policies. A couple of months ago, before Trump’s poorly named “Liberation Day,” The Associated Press reported from a trade show attended by toy inventors, toy manufacturers and buyers for stores, where much of the focus was on how the president’s plans would affect their industry.

This week, the Times published a related report noting that Trump’s tariffs, specifically on China, “are threatening Christmas.”

Toy makers, children’s shops and specialty retailers are pausing orders for the winter holidays as the import taxes cascade through supply chains. Factories in China produce nearly 80 percent of all toys and 90 percent of Christmas goods sold in America. The production of toys, Christmas trees and decorations is usually in full swing by now. It takes four to five months to manufacture, package and ship products to the United States. Mr. Trump’s 145 percent tariffs have caused a drastic markup in costs for American companies.

The report added that some in the industry have not yet canceled seasonal orders because they still think Trump might back off his own policies. That said, the article added that the “alarm in the industry is palpable, with the companies predicting product shortages and higher prices. Some business owners, citing how crucial holiday sales are to their bottom lines, are consulting bankruptcy lawyers.”

It’s probably fair to say those same people took note when Trump effectively confirmed those same fears.