Trump Economy Ranks 6 out of 7, Clinton,Obama Scored

By: Yassmine ElSayed

CAIRO, Feb. 5 (SEE) - The U.S. economy is not doing as well under Donald Trump as it did under other presidents since 1976, Bill Clinton was the best among them in this regard, according to a new Bloomberg report.

The report  measured by 14 gauges of economic activity and financial performance, assessing a broad range of activity from job and wage growth to the strength of the real estate and auto industries to the health of stock and bond investments that deliver security to workers and retirees.

By compiling and ranking the annual improvement in these measures under four Republicans and three Democrats who have occupied the White House, each of the last seven presidents achieved an average economic-progress score.

By these measures, we reported two years ago, the economy under President Bill Clinton was No. 1. It still is, having strengthened the most during his years in office, 1993 to 2001.

President Barack Obama, who took office in 2009 during the worst recession since the Great Depression, left in 2017 after the second-biggest improvement.

President Ronald Reagan is No. 3 (1981-1989), followed by Presidents George H.W. Bush (1989-1993) and Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).

That leaves Trump and President George W. Bush, whose years in office ended in 2009 with the financial crisis that plunged the economy into its deepest decline in 80 years. While the No. 6 Trump economy shows no signs of replicating the disaster of the No. 7 Bush economy, he already lags Carter’s performance.

For all of its weakness, the Carter economy included the largest annual increase in nonfarm payrolls and tied with Reagan’s for the second-most annualized growth in gross domestic product. Carter’s economy also saw the biggest annual increase in home equity.

Trump benefits from GDP growth that leads the Group of Eight industrial nations, the lowest unemployment since the 1960s and, as he correctly tweeted on Jan. 21, “the best year for American Manufacturing job growth since 1997.” But Clinton tops the list of 14 measures in three categories, is second in six indicators and third in three of them. Obama wins four of the 14 measures and ranks second in two of them.

The Trump years have been no better than average and mostly below average in 12 of the 14 measures. The bond market suffered its worst performance the past two years than in any other president since Carter. Anemic productivity and a widening deficit as a percentage of GDP are the worst since George W. Bush was president. The dollar’s 3.2 percent annualized decline and GDP growth of 2.24 percent give Trump no better than a No. 5 ranking.