Before discussing current economic plans, we need to examine the foundation of what Trump’s "Greatest Economy in History" looks like.
Trump’s first term is often praised by his supporters for economic achievements, but Trump finished his term with the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression and a major shortage of everyday goods.
While unemployment rates were low at the start of 2020 (3.5%), other indicators painted a less rosy picture. For instance, the U.S. lost 2.7 million jobs during his tenure, the trade deficit surged by 36.3%, and 3 million more Americans were left without health insurance. The federal debt held by the public ballooned by 50%, rising from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion—an increase of over $7 trillion. Housing costs soared by 27.5%, and illegal immigration and border apprehensions increased by 14.7% compared to 2016. Coal production and mining jobs declined by 26.5% and 25%, respectively, while the murder rate reached its highest level since 1997. Economic growth slowed by 2.2%, and 178,000 manufacturing jobs were lost. Corporate profits, however, rose by 17.4%, and regulatory restrictions increased by 0.9%.
Wait a minute, Foxxxy, now you aren’t being fair… the pandemic, remember the pandemic? It wasn’t Trump’s fault, no one could have predicted COVID.
Ok, that’s true, the pandemic was an unprecedented global crisis, and Trump didn’t create it. However, the question isn’t whether Trump caused the pandemic, but how he responded to it. While it’s unreasonable to think any president could have single-handedly prevented COVID-19, Trump’s decisions before and during the pandemic significantly influenced its impact on the U.S.
Choices Made, Responsibility Earned
I want to clarify that a choice is the act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities, choices are not forced, they are voluntary decisions based on personal preferences and one would hope a president considers as much available information to base the choices that affect hundreds of millions of people. Whatever choice a president makes, they own responsibility, whether the outcome is good or bad.
In 2018, more than a year before COVID-19 emerged, Trump chose to cut funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and dismantle the National Security Council’s (NSC) global health and biodefense division. Trump chose this, he wasn’t forced, and they were made despite years of warnings from scientists and experts about the inevitability of a pandemic. The NSC’s biodefense division, for example, had developed a detailed plan for managing a pandemic, which could have been invaluable in mitigating COVID-19’s impact. By dismantling this division, Trump left the U.S. unprepared for the crisis that followed.
What does the CDC and the NSC do anyway?
The CDC is responsible for protecting Americans from health, safety, and security threats, both domestic and international. Its focus on disease prevention and containment is critical during public health emergencies. The NSC, on the other hand, coordinates national security and foreign policy across government agencies. Its global health and biodefense division was specifically tasked with monitoring and preparing for catastrophic emergencies like pandemics. By cutting funding and dismantling these programs, Trump undermined the nation’s ability to respond effectively to COVID-19.
When COVID-19 emerged, Trump’s response was marked by misinformation, delays, and poor decision-making. On January 22, 2020, he assured the public that the virus was "totally under control" and that it would "be just fine." This false sense of security was compounded by his dismissal of a memo from Advisor Peter Navarro on January 30, 2020, which warned of the potential for a full-blown pandemic and the lack of preparedness to handle it.
Despite the World Health Organization’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020, Trump chose to wait 55 days to declare a national emergency and order a voluntary shutdown. During this critical period, he chose not to stockpile personal protective equipment (PPE) or ramp up testing, leaving the U.S. ranked 22nd out of 23 countries in testing rates. On May 8, 2020, he chose to block the release of a CDC document outlining guidelines for safely reopening the country, further exacerbating the crisis.
Experts estimate that 90% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths would have been prevented if mandatory shutdowns had been implemented just one month earlier. Trump’s failure to act decisively and follow expert advice resulted in unnecessary loss of life and economic devastation.
Pre-pandemic Greatness
Ok, so Trump should be forced to take credit for his choices, but for argument's sake, up until the pandemic, the US economy was the “Greatest economy” in history.
Ummm, no.
Even before the pandemic, the notion of the "Greatest Economy in History" is questionable. While unemployment was low and the stock market performed well, these metrics don’t tell the full story. The Economic Policy Institute notes that the bottom 90% of households hold only about 12% of corporate equities, meaning stock market gains primarily benefit the wealthy. For most Americans, economic health is determined by factors like income growth, job security, and access to affordable housing and healthcare.
Under Trump, income growth slowed. From 2013 to 2016, average annual income growth was 2.6%; during Trump’s first three years, it dropped to 2.1%. An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute and Capital & Main found that 48 states experienced slower household income growth under Trump than under Obama. Additionally, Trump’s rollback of Obama’s overtime rule cost 8 million workers $1.4 billion in lost wages annually.
Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, touted as a boon for the economy, largely benefited the ultra-wealthy. The trickle-down effect he promised never materialized. Instead, corporations saved their tax windfalls rather than investing them in the economy, while working-class families saw little to no benefit. Business investments plummeted, and workers became increasingly reliant on unemployment benefits.
So What Are We Bringing Back, Then?
Trump’s presidency was marked by significant economic challenges, both before and during the pandemic. While he cannot be blamed for the existence of COVID-19, he must be held accountable for his choices in responding to it. His decisions to cut public health funding, dismiss expert warnings, and delay critical actions exacerbated the pandemic’s impact on the U.S.
Similarly, the pre-pandemic economy was far from the "greatest in history." Income growth slowed, inequality widened, and workers lost ground. Trump’s policies favored the wealthy at the expense of the middle and working classes, leaving many Americans worse off.
In evaluating any presidency, it’s essential to consider both the successes and failures. Trump’s legacy is a mix of both, but the scale tips heavily toward the latter when examining the full scope of his economic and public health policies. Accountability is the cornerstone of leadership, and in this case, it’s clear that Trump’s choices had profound and often devastating consequences.
As Trump begins his second presidential term, his policies reflect even more extreme policies from his previous term, and far out reach promises of his campaign. He is focused on consolidating executive power and has convinced himself that America has given him an absolute mandate, though he only won by less than 1%. The truth is that more people voted against Trump, those votes just were not consolidated, granting him the smallest win in election history.
After two weeks of the second presidency, it doesn’t appear that Trump plans to bring anything back. His actions so far seem to change American foundations to very un-American foundations.
Part 3: The Most Beautiful Word - Coming soon!
References
Baker, D. (2024, January 15). The “great” economy trump left biden – CEPR. Center for Economic and Policy Research. https://cepr.net/publications/the-great-economy-trump-left-biden/Bivens, J. (2019, September 17). Why is the economy so weak? Trade gets headlines, but it’s more about past Fed rate hikes and the TCJA’s waste. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/blog/why-is-the-economy-so-weak-trade-gets-headlines-but-its-more-about-past-fed-rate-hikes-and-the-tcjas-waste/Bivens, J. (2020, October 21). The Trump administration was ruining the pre-COVID-19 economy too, just more slowly. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/blog/the-trump-administration-was-ruining-the-pre-covid-19-19-economy-too-just-more-slowly/CDC. (2024, July 8). CDC museum COVID-19 timeline. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.htmlEconomic Policy Institute. (2020, November 12). Revisiting a Trump regulatory rollback: Strengthening overtime protections for working people. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/strengthening-overtime-protections/Healthcare, M. (2020, March 29). Trump calls for shutdown until April 30. Modern Healthcare. https://www.modernhealthcare.com/government/trump-calls-shutdown-until-april-30Kiely, E., Jackson, B., Jones, B., Gore, D., Robertson, L., & Farley, R. (2021, October 8). Trump’s final numbers. FactCheck.Org. https://www.factcheck.org/2021/10/trumps-final-numbers/The Guardian Staff. (2018, March 18). Are we prepared for the looming epidemic threat? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/18/end-epidemics-aids-ebola-sars-sunday-essayRiechman, D. (2020, March 14). Trump disbanded NSC pandemic unit that experts had praised. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-virus-outbreak-barack-obama-public-health-ce014d94b64e98b7203b873e56f80e9aScott, R. (2019, February 5). The state of American manufacturing: The failure of Trump’s trade and economic policies. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/blog/the-state-of-american-manufacturing-the-failure-of-trumps-trade-and-economic-policies/Sebenius, I., & Sebenius, J. (2020, June 19). A faster response could have prevented most U.S. Covid-19 deaths. STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/19/faster-response-prevented-most-us-covid-19-deaths/Seddiq, O., Haltiwanger, J., & Winck, B. (2022, January 26). Trump falsely suggests there were no supply chain issues when he was president. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-falsely-suggests-there-were-no-supply-chain-issues-when-he-was-president-2022-1Shierholz, H. (2021, January 8). The economy President-elect Biden is inheriting: 26.8 million workers—15.8% of the workforce—are being directly hurt by the coronavirus crisis. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/blog/the-economy-president-elect-biden-is-inheriting-26-8-million-workers-15-8-of-the-workforce-are-being-directly-hurt-by-the-coronavirus-crisis/US Rep Lloyd Doggett. (2022, March 2). Timeline of Trump’s coronavirus responses. Congressman Lloyd Doggett. https://doggett.house.gov/media/blog-post/timeline-trumps-coronavirus-responsesUS White House. (2025, January 30). Presidential Actions – The White House. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/
