Who is the more economically competent, Trump or Biden? One has public opinion on his side; the data supports the other. DW examined four claims about growth, inflation, debt and the US stock market.
The opinion research institute YouGov has found that, with regard to the economy, a majority of the US population has greater faith in Donald Trump than in the incumbent president, Joe Biden. Only 26% of the voters canvassed by the institute in February of this year considered Biden a capable economic policymaker. By contrast, Trump reaches approval ratings of 47%.
But do the survey results align with US economic data?
Booming economy?
Claim: “Biden is destroying law and order, and our economy is in a free fall. Under Donald Trump … our economy was strong. We need four more years of Donald J. Trump,” US Senator Tim Scott wrote on X on March 28. Other X users also hark back to the “booming economy” under Trump.
DW Fact Check: Misleading
The first three years under Donald Trump were economically promising, with growth rates of over 2% (see graph). This does not, however, constitute a sustained “boom”. The definition of a boom is a period characterized by “a pronounced increase in economic activity, reflected in high growth rates, significantly above-normal capacity utilization, noticeable employment growth, and a bullish stock market.”
Trump started his first term in office on January 20, 2017, with US economic growth at 2.4%. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the economy…
The opinion research institute YouGov has found that, with regard to the economy, a majority of the US population has greater faith in Donald Trump than in the incumbent president, Joe Biden. Only 26% of the voters canvassed by the institute in February of this year considered Biden a capable economic policymaker. By contrast, Trump reaches approval ratings of 47%.
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But do the survey results align with US economic data?
Booming economy?
Claim: “Biden is destroying law and order, and our economy is in a free fall. Under Donald Trump … our economy was strong. We need four more years of Donald J. Trump,” US Senator Tim Scott wrote on X on March 28. Other X users also hark back to the “booming economy” under Trump.
DW Fact Check: Misleading
The first three years under Donald Trump were economically promising, with growth rates of over 2% (see graph). This does not, however, constitute a sustained “boom”. The definition of a boom is a period characterized by “a pronounced increase in economic activity, reflected in high growth rates, significantly above-normal capacity utilization, noticeable employment growth, and a bullish stock market.”
Trump started his first term in office on January 20, 2017, with US economic growth at 2.4%. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the economy…
