"They think you're dumb and I think you're smart"

"They" are just just projecting, anyway.

What an amazing President, politician, and public speaker.

A lot of effort and expense has gone into teaching Americans that we are dumb. We are told we are dumb every day, our schools and teachers fail us, we can't keep up with others in science and math, etc.
If we were told the truth we would not give away our public investments. We would know that private sector workers and contracts are always more expensive than work performed by the public sector. And we would insist that our government do its job and protect us from the greed of corporations rather than feed us to them with laws and regulations that favor them over us.
They believe we are dumb because the information they provide for us leaves us ill-prepared to figure out the truth. That makes some seem dumb, but it doesn't preclude our acquiring the information needed, to figure out our situation, and seem less dumb.
Of course, if we thought we were smart, capable of thinking for ourselves, then we might challenge our officials when they tell us there's nothing in the pot for us.