



Trump says US poised for economic boom. The numbers tell a different story.
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Donald Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday night, extolling his economic record to date and promising a bright economic future for the U.S. in the year ahead.
But the economic data don’t paint a rosy picture. “We are making America great again tonight," Trump said in a roughly 20-minute address. “Our border is secure.
Inflation has stopped. Wages are up. Prices are down.
Our nation is strong. America is respected, and our country is back stronger than ever before. We’re poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen." Next year looks to be a make-or-break year for Trump’s economic promises.
But it may be difficult for the U.S. economy to achieve the success he has forecast, given currently elevated inflation, rising unemployment, and concerns about the labor market outlook. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday that the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in November, up from 4.2% a year ago.
Payroll growth has also slowed substantially in the past year, with employers adding 64,000 jobs in November. That compares with 261,000 jobs added in November 2024. Trump said Wednesday that there are more people working today than at any time in American history, but that doesn’t account for the fact the population is also larger.
The labor-force participation rate was 62.5% as of November, roughly the same rate as a year ago, and below the highest levels in modern history. The U.S. labor-force participation rate peaked in 2000 and has declined steadily since.
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