01-07-2025
Please, Please, Please Don't Show This Post About Trump's Economy To Your MAGA-Supporting Family (Unless You Want To Start A Fight)
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Hi there, my name is Alexa, and for each month of Donald Trump's presidency, I'm tracking the real numbers achieved by his administration on BuzzFeed.
(AKA, the unemployment rate, cost of eggs, gas prices, inflation, the Dow Jones, whether citizens received a stimulus check, and Trump's overall approval rating.)
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Who would have known that within five months of starting this newsletter, we'd not only see shifts in unemployment and the Dow Jones amid mass government layoffs and a global trade war...
...But now, we'll have to consider the economic impact of the US meddling in an ACTUAL WAR following Trump's airstrikes on Iran.
Ain't known a FUCKIN day of peace since FUCKIN NOVEMBER
— Urban Richard Simmons (@winwhite97) June 22, 2025
PBS / Twitter: @winwhite97
Time will tell whether these numbers start shifting as quickly as Marjorie Taylor Greene's loyalty after realizing her sons are of drafting age. In the meantime, here's how the 79-year-old's May 2025 played out:
Note: Data on inflation is released a few weeks after each month has ended, so our reports will look at the previous month's numbers.
Unemployment isn't budging for now. Coming in at 4.2% for the third month in a row, the percentage of jobless Americans searching for positions has remained the same, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Eggs, eggs, eggs! Whether you're a baker dependent on cheaper egg prices or just a home cook craving pancakes, eggs were SUCH a huge conversation at the start of Trump's presidency. In March, they (hopefully) reached a peak of $6.23 for a grade-A dozen. Now, we've slowly inched down to a national average of $4.55.
My breakfast can't wait until we get back to a more comfortable $2.99. For now, I still can't justify a nearly $5 price tag.
Though gas prices per gallon fell by a few pennies month-over-month, May's national average of $3.278 teeters on the edge of hitting a five-month high, and it's expected to get much, much worse.
And why is that? Well, as you can imagine, Trump's airstrikes on Iran realllllly raised tensions between the country and ours. And now, at the time of writing, there's valid concern that Iran may retaliate by closing off the Strait of Hormuz — aka, a route through which 20% of the WORLD's oil supply is shipped.
I'm not in the oil industry, but it's pretty easy to guess what could potentially happen to gas prices if our access to oil were severely limited.
...And I'm not the only one feeling anxious. (Though the subject of his blame may be a bit misplaced.)
Someone's panicking.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 23, 2025
Twitter: @ProjectLincoln
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For a second there, I thought we'd be celebrating another month of decline. After all, shrinking inflation is one of the talking points Trump repeatedly brags about. Just short weeks ago, the White House published a press release titled "Under President Trump, America is Defeating Inflation." The memo is arguably misleading, though, as inflation actually rose from 2.3% in April to 2.4% in May according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
After three months of steady decline in the Dow Jones and watching through spread fingers as our retirement accounts shrank, we finally saw returns at 3.3%. A win is a win.
I've noticed the stimulus check voters have been verrrrrry quiet since January. Where'd y'all go?
Finally, we have Trump's approval rating. According to Gallup, only 43% of the country approves of how Donnie is handling his presidency. No other second-term president has had a May number that low since at least 1949.
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Those are our stats for May. Now, let's look at comments we received on our last edition in a little section I like to call ✨Comment Corner✨.
Comment Corner #1:
As a base number, Biden closed out his final full month as president in December with 100% ground beef costing an average of $5.58 per pound in the US, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Trump's numbers (including his 10ish days in January) so far are:
January 2025: $5.50 per pound
February 2025: $5.74 per pound
March 2025: $5.85 per pound
April 2025: $6.00 per pound
May 2025: $6.02 per pound
Comment Corner #2:
Not only did Trump say, 'When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one...'
...He also told NBC News that promises like these — which have not come to pass — are a significant reason why he believes he won the presidency.
'I won on groceries. Very simple word, groceries,' Trump said in December. 'When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We're going to bring those prices way down.'
Comment Corner #3:
Hi! I'm genuinely confused about your comment.
By "opposite," are you asking whether we'll post about Trump's economic successes? If so, this report has openly acknowledged and celebrated the decline in egg prices and inflation.
Also, when you suggest we are too threatened by some kind of "explosion" to post the truth, I wonder about your thoughts on this newsletter's sourcing, which essentially pulls from administrations under Trump, like the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Are you concerned about his leadership? What's the tea?
Overall, it sounds like everything you're looking for in a truth-based newsletter is all right here! Please subscribe. :)
Want to know if Trump's economy is actually doing as well as he promised? Subscribe to the Economy Hate Watch newsletter and never miss our monthly update.
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