The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website December 4, 2017:
To hear President Trump tell it, the stock market began its bull market precisely at noon on January 20, 2017. Or, in other iterations, as soon as the New York Stock Exchange opened on Nov. 9, 2016 — the first day after his election.
Great numbers on Stocks and the Economy. If we get Tax Cuts and Reform, we’ll really see some great results!
But, as has occasionally been the case with things Trump says, that’s not entirely true.
Here, for example, is how the Dow Jones industrial average has performed over the past few years. Can you pinpoint where Trump was inaugurated? Click the dot that you think is closest to that point.
How’d you do? Did you pinpoint a place a bit earlier than when Trump actually began his presidency? That is not terribly surprising; the bull market that we’re currently seeing began in 2009.
Another example: Unemployment numbers. Here’s Trump on Twitter.
Unemployment is down to 4.1%, lowest in 17 years. 1.5 million new jobs created since I took office. Highest stock Market ever, up $5.4 trill
Now, try to spot where he entered the picture.
There are a number of other metrics that similarly result in a murkier picture for the Trump administration.
Then there’s the national debt which, as a private citizen, was a key concern of Trump’s. Three years ago Saturday, he tweeted this.
Yesterday our national debt topped a record $18T. Over 44% has accrued under Obama. A real mess.
So can you spot the downturn that followed his inauguration?
At 2 a.m. on Saturday, the Republican Senate majority approved a bill that would, according to estimates from nonpartisan government analysts, increase the debt by more than $1 trillion. Perhaps in a decade’s time we will update this interactive and see if you can find where that vote took place.
View the post here.