“I’m very proud of it,” President Donald Trump declared regarding the U.S. economy, even as a recent study revealed that 90 percent of Americans perceive a cost of living crisis gripping the nation.
In an interview aired during Super Bowl LX, Trump shifted from blaming his predecessor Joe Biden for economic woes to taking ownership of the current economic landscape. “At what point are we in the Trump economy?” journalist Tom Llamas inquired.
“I’d say we’re there now,” Trump responded confidently, asserting that Democrats have had to abandon their “affordability” narrative due to the successes of his administration. He boldly predicted that the upcoming year would be “even gonna be better,” attributing this optimism to his controversial reciprocal tariffs policy.
“You know, we have hundreds of billions of dollars pouring into our country. Actually trillions – $18 trillion is being invested in our country as we speak,” he elaborated, emphasizing the construction of factories and businesses nationwide.
However, a nationwide survey conducted by Talker Research for Current.com painted a starkly different picture. It found that nine out of ten Americans believe inflation is a pressing issue, with eight in ten stating that consumer goods have become more expensive since Trump took office in January 2025.
Moreover, 52 percent of respondents reported difficulties in paying their monthly bills on time, while a similar percentage struggled to afford basic necessities. Alarmingly, 38 percent indicated they had to relocate due to financial constraints, and 64 percent felt they would never achieve their dream living situation because of economic pressures.
Trump’s confidence was further challenged by a separate NPR/Marist/PBS News survey revealing that 59 percent of U.S. adults disapproved of his economic management, contrasting sharply with the 36 percent who supported it.
During the NBC interview, Trump cited economic growth figures that did not align with his administration’s own data. He claimed a GDP growth of 5.6 percent under his leadership, while the Department of Labor recorded an annualized growth rate of 4.4 percent for the third quarter of 2025.
The department has yet to release fourth-quarter data due to a government shutdown affecting record-keeping. A White House official clarified that Trump was referencing a projection from the Atlanta Federal Reserve, which estimated growth at 5.4 percent—still higher than most other forecasts.
Since 2021, the U.S. economy has not seen quarterly growth exceeding 5 percent, a period marked by recovery from Covid-19 lockdowns. When pressed by Llamas about the promised factory openings before Trump’s term ends in January 2029, he assured, “Oh, yeah. They’ll be opening up over the next year, year and a half, yeah.”
