Donald Trump’s economy

While the whole country was talking about the presidential debate yesterday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, released its “third revised” estimate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) demonstrating that the U.S. had a record-setting 31.4 percent economic contraction in the second quarter of 2020. This follows a five percent GDP decrease in the first quarter of 2020. In short, under any reasonable definition, we’re in the midst of the Trump Recession.

Moreover, the Trump Recession, including many retail bankruptcies and closures, was caused, or at least made worse and longer, by the lack of an effective national COVID response by Donald Trump and his Republican apologists. As has been well-documented, Trump and Republican politicians downplayed the Coronavirus pandemic, did not help provide enough crucial supplies and equipment, ordered businesses and public venues to be closed too late (if at all), and pressured states and local governments to reopen too early. This was not just one of the worst decisions in history in terms of public health, morality and government, but also one of the worst economic and political blunders in history. Failing to take COVID seriously in order to “boost the economy” did the opposite.