I hate to be the bearer of good news, but the US economy is doing quite well. A delayed government report shows that third-quarter GDP grew at 4.3 percent, hardly a record, but still healthy, the highest growth rate in two years. Last week’s inflation report showed a lower-than-expected number, and wage growth is exceeding inflation. Consumer spending is up, and, yes, the stock market is booming. Happy days are here again. The sky above is clear again.
Many accounts on my X feed, which are either run by Democratic partisans or Iranian trolls or both, say that food-pantry lines are reaching record numbers this holiday season, and that poverty and homelessness are increasing even as the rich get richer. “Trump lies,” they said. Yes, and the sun is hot. What’s the point? Donald Trump never promised to eradicate poverty. But he did promise a “hot” economy, and a hot economy, or at least a nice warm one, is what we’ve got.
This could be a paper tiger. Unemployment numbers are a bit high, though as the President says all day every day, a lot of that is because he’s reduced the size of the government workforce. We could possibly be living in a crypto and AI bubble. Healthcare is too expensive, there is a housing shortage. But our eyes don’t deceive. For a lot of people – not everyone – the economy is robust.
It’s hard to say how much of this is because of Trump’s economic policies, and how much of it is things that are simply happening when he’s President. Tariffs are bringing in revenue, so Trump says, but the national debt continues to soar. Time will only tell if the border freeze actually creates jobs for naturalized citizens. The man can wave a magic wand and make his name appear on buildings and ships, but he can’t automatically make everyone prosperous by force of will, even though he’d like us to think that he has the power.
Still, we have to give credit where credit’s due, even if Trump is busy crediting himself. Affordability is a Democratic hoax, he says: “The numbers will only get better.”
His somewhat weird address to the nation last week seems a little less weird in light of recent economic numbers. “Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it. When I took office, inflation was the worst in 48 years… making life unaffordable for millions… Much of this success has been accomplished by tariffs, my favorite word… Companies know that if they build in America, there are no tariffs, and that’s why they’re coming home…We’re the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
Fact check: maybe. But it certainly does look like we’re sitting pretty. We had a dinner party last week and one of our guests said “all of our friends are fleeing the United States.” I kept my mouth shut because my wife shot daggers my way, but I wondered: why? Are they illegal immigrants? Sex traffickers? Venezuelan fentanyl dealers? If a job or a romance takes you overseas, fine. But why “flee” a country that’s booming or at least near-booming for some godforsaken place like Canada or Mexico or Portugal? Those countries are available for vacations or extended visits. Don’t flee America now. It’s just getting fun.
Christmas is coming. The goose is getting fat. There may not be a Lexus with a bow on it in your driveway on Thursday morning. But maybe there will be a used Lexus. Or an Amazon gift card in your stocking. Or at least less expensive gas and cheaper eggs. Lower prices and bigger paychecks have arrived in the hottest country anywhere in the history of the world. Thank you, Santa Trump, thank you, thank you!
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