MS NOW knowledge journalist Philip Bump says President Donald Trump’s claims of the U.S. being “the most popular nation” to date solely pertains to its local weather. Economically, the U.S. is trailing behind its international competitors.
“President Donald Trump, by no means restrained about his use of hyperbole, has settled on a succinct abstract of the primary 12 months of his second time period,” stated Bump, citing a Dec. 11 declaration that worldwide leaders personally informed him we’re the most popular, and his repeat of the declare throughout his prime-time deal with on Dec. 17.
“We’re the most popular nation anyplace on the planet,” Trump stated into the digital camera. “And that’s stated by each single chief that I’ve spoken to during the last 5 months.”
The numbers don’t help his declare by way of the nation’s inventory costs, nonetheless. The Dow Jones Industrial Common might have hit a brand new excessive, the 52nd of the 12 months, stated Bump, however a number of overseas indexes — together with many in Asia — have outperformed the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Even the overseas indexes hammered by Trump’s announcement of April tariffs haven’t solely rebounded, however some have surpassed the U.S. indexes “regardless of having fallen simply as far after Jan. 20,” stated Bump.
As well as, Bump stated the U.S. can be not the most popular on GDP progress, with India’s third-quarter improve virtually double that of the U.S.. India additionally beat out the U.S. on job progress, with job progress within the U.S. principally flat since April.
That is odd, stated Bump as a result of U.S. indexes don’t often path overseas ones throughout 12 months Ones.
And Trump’s market doesn’t even evaluate to that of many latest presidents’ first years, when added up.
“12 months Ones have outperformed 2025, together with Trump’s first 12 months One, in 2017,” stated Bump. “And nonetheless a lot Trump dislikes listening to it, there was extra inventory market progress by Christmas within the first 12 months of Joe Biden’s administration than recorded throughout Trump’s presidency this 12 months.”
What’s extra, Bump stated throughout 4 of the seven presidential 12 months Ones since 2001, the common of U.S. indexes outperformed the common of the seven worldwide indexes, which is one thing Trump can’t declare.
“There’s, nonetheless, one measure by which the U.S. is inarguably among the many hottest nations on the planet: precise temperature,” Bump added. “Information from the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration signifies that North America simply skilled its second-warmest autumn on document and its hottest November.”
Learn Bump’s full MS NOW column at this hyperlink.
