Trump squandered his win on border security
Conspicuously absent from the campaign trail this election season was the old standby issue of border security. The Trump administration did what none before has done and essentially shut down illegal crossings on the southern border. It remains quiet, and there is no longer the chaos of migrants arriving in droves. This was a Republican win, and the silence of Democrats about the wall tells just how successful it was. In fact, when Democratic candidates speak to us about the border, it's all in favor of security. And plenty are now quick to blame President Joe Biden for failing to ...
The U.S. investment boom has arrived
It’s hard to recall a time with such a large disconnect between how Americans feel about the economy and the data. The Commerce Department on Thursday reported that GDP grew 3.4% in the third quarter thanks to surging business investment and buoyant consumer spending. So why are Americans so glum? By objective measures, the economy is firing on most cylinders. Consumer spending remains healthy and contributed 2.52 percentage points to the third-quarter GDP increase. Even if consumers fume about higher prices, they aren’t tightening their belts. Spending on motor vehicles, household ...
While the economy is growing, purchasing power is not
The economy is strong by conventional measures, but most voters don’t feel it. Gross domestic product grew 3.4 percent in the third quarter, the fastest pace in a year. Consumer spending increased 3.8 percent, and nonresidential business investment surged 12.7 percent, propelled by artificial intelligence and the data center build-out. At the same time, the final Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll before the midterms found that 75 percent of Americans describe the economy as poor or not so good. Forty-eight percent say they’re financially not as well off since President Donald Trump took ...