I ’m keep cut of Trump ’s economic system right here . Every month . Enjoy !
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Hi there, my name is Alexa, and for each month of Donald Trump’s presidency,I’m tracking the real numbers achieved by his administrationon BuzzFeed.
( AKA , the unemployment rate , cost of eggs , gas prices , ostentation , the Dow Jones , whether citizen have a stimulus check , and Trump ’s overall approval rating . )
Why am I doing this? Well, three months ago I said it’s because Trump and his campaign positioned itself, and perhapslargely won on, being the “economy vote” — a title that seems ironic now as we appear to behurtling straight toward a recession.
Now, I’d like to add an amendment to the margin: “Calling out the gaslighting.”
Because , if you did n’t screw , our 78 - yr - sometime commander in chief has beenclaiming"groceries are down " in price and that tags on eggs , specifically , have put down " 87 pct . "
One look at your late re - threadbare receipt , I ’m indisputable , is likely to tell a different narration — and so , too , will the data in this paper .
trumpet : Grocery prices have get down . Just two calendar month ago when I was with you , people were complaining about the cost of egg , but now they ’re down 87 % . So , we did a dandy job.pic.twitter.com/LoUs7HQ6JI
Regardless of who is sitting in the Oval Office — whether they pledge tolower grocery pricesandend wars on day oneor not — I think we can all agree that holding candidates-turned-presidents accountable for their promises is important.
Andif the numbers turn in Trump ’s favour , I ’ll stay on to report on it and recreate for a prosper economic system .
So without further ado, here’s how Trump’s March played out:
mark : data point on puffiness is released weeks after each month has ended , so our reports will take care at the previous month ’s number .
Considering theTrump administration ’s mass government layoffs involve over 60,000 federal workers , I admittedly expected a large increase in unemployment ; however , it may just be too soon to evidence , as those former employees get in the syndicate of7.1 million Americans out of work .
Unemployment linger around the 4 % mark throughout Biden ’s last calendar month as president and Trump ’s first few weeks , but it ’s officially bumped up to4.2 % under Trump in March .
Who know 2025 would be marked as the year we all learn EXACTLY how often we use eggs ? My local store ’s toll ostensibly reject to dip below $ 8.99 per carton of 12 , but the internal average pass over from$5.90 in Februaryto$6.23 in March .
alas , theUS Agriculture Departmentpredictsthe terms of ball can increase by more than 40 % this yr .
Perhaps a larger necessity than eggs , the price of accelerator has seen a month - over - calendar month increase as well . For all the commuters out there , your air pocket have likely felt a little light as the US Energy Information AdministrationreportsMarch gas prices were about $ 3.223 on intermediate .
count , our first bit of honorable intelligence !
As the world brace against the back - and - Forth River of global tariff , it seems the economy has to budge on something . fortuitously , that something is likely inflation , which dropped from 2.8 % in February to2.4 % in March .
( Although I detest to act as the Ghost of Inflation ’s futurity , expert sayany advance made in inflation is at jeopardy as the end of Trump’s90 - 24-hour interval duty pauselooms . )
Well , well , well . Trump ’s first 50 days crafted a ambo - worthy first appearance as he experiencedone of the worst stock market place starts for a president since 1950 .
antecedently , the 4.42 % increase seen as a unexampled President of the United States was ushered in during January has since fallen by1 % in Februaryand see an even more drasticdrop of 4.3 % in March .
And if you ’re sitting there thinking , " Hmmmm , somehow I expected it to be bad , considering all theretirement account ruckus,“hold on to your chapeau ! March only account for the initial barter war side effect . The April drop is DIPPING.(I’m furiously writingnext month ’s editionas we speak ) .
No , there is still no Old World chat of a stimulus tick . But hey ! The Department of Education recentlyannouncedthat it will protrude referring student loans that have go into nonpayment to collections beginning May 5 . So that ’s throttle to aid scramble Americans , good ? … Right ?
And finally:
According toGallup , Trump ’s approval rating took another dip . This time , it sat at 43 % in March . I marvel howrising costswill affect this in April ?
Comment Corner #1:
It’s a bit trickier than Biden vs. Trump’s fault when it comes to our current economy:
As with every chairperson , Joe Biden inherit Donald Trump ’s economic system when he walk into the 2021 White House doors . We were in the throes of COVID-19 , theunemployment charge per unit was 6.4 % , butgas price had antecedently fallenas people fear leave behind far from home and change less before getting even - to - spot Order . At the same time , businesses also shutter . It was all verynew and strange .
By the metre Joe left — shortly after the US government officiallydeclaredan end to the COVID-19 pandemic — he had become thefirst US president to see monthly gains in employment throughout his total presidentship , and unemployment saw a 54 - year Sir David Alexander Cecil Low in 2023 . However , it ’s undeniable that his presidency also sawinflation , inflation , inflation . And just as Trump ’s lower cost of life can be part attributed to the pandemic ’s aftershock , so , too , can the previous call - and - response lift in cost of living , expertssay .
TLDR : The pandemic part make profits and loss for both Trump and Biden . We saw what Biden did with what Trump gave him — now it ’s sentence to see how Trump palm the good and regretful of his hereditary pattern .
Comment Corner #2:
While I’m certainly not a pro-economist, J.P. Morgan recentlyraised the US’s odds of entering a recession in 2025from its previously predicted 40% to 60%.
It ’s daunting — specially if you , like me , ca n’t help but doomscroll . To help oneself , BuzzFeed spoke to finance influencer Tori Dunlap onhow to get up for hard times .
And if you ’d wish a little real - world software with a dash of humor , here are someunhinged ways people say they saved money during the 2008 recession .
Comment Corner #3:
Shoutout to my fellow economy hate-watchers who inspired us to turn these reports into a newsletter, delivered right to your inbox so you never miss a post.
Subscribe to our monthly reporthere.See you next month!
