The media didn’t even wait for the first quarter of President Donald Trump’s second term to blame him for GDP events that transpired before he was even elected to office.
Media outlets like The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post tried to blame fears of Trump tariffs for Q4 2024 GDP numbers. From October-December, the economy saw slower-than-expected growth and upticks in consumer spending. The Post held Trump’s tariff threat liable for declining business investment while outlets like Reuters and The Times suggested it was to blame for spikes in household spending, which the outlets characterized as a surge in preemptive purchases to offset the effects of expected tariffs on imports.
This was despite the fact that Q4 data includes a period before anyone even knew Trump was going to win the 2024 election.
MRC Business consulted with experts…
