Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Two presidents, a similar economy

Kai Ryssdal and Bennett Purser Aug 20, 2019
HTML EMBED:
COPY
A container ship unloads cargo from Asia at the Port of Long Beach in California. U.S. business leaders are concerned about the trade war. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Two presidents, a similar economy

Kai Ryssdal and Bennett Purser Aug 20, 2019
A container ship unloads cargo from Asia at the Port of Long Beach in California. U.S. business leaders are concerned about the trade war. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

President Donald Trump often describes the American economy under his leadership as the strongest in U.S. history. But when compared to the numbers from the Obama era, the economy hasn’t changed that much since he took office. And many economic trends appear to be the result of President Barack Obama’s policies.

Heather Long is an economics corespondent for the Washington Post, where she compiled a series of 15 charts comparing economic data of the Obama and Trump presidencies. While taxes and trade policies have certainly changed under the Trump administration, “for all of his talk about how great he is as as economic conductor, he really hasn’t changed much for this economy overall,” Long said. She spoke with “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal about what she found.

Click the audio player above to hear the interview.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.