REUTERS: TSF's version of "HOMINA, HOMINA, HOMINA..."

[Montauk6]

Trump struggles to explain weak economic data as he reaches 100-day mark
By Trevor Hunnicutt
April 30, 2025 | 10:15 PM EDT | Updated 25 min ago

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday counseled patience, cast blame and claimed victory in the face of a first-quarter U.S. economic contraction and tariffs that have taken a bite out of his popularity, saying a resurgence was around the corner.

The U.S. Commerce Department's advance gross domestic product data on Wednesday pointed to the first quarterly decline in three years as businesses imported a flood of goods to avoid higher costs from Trump's pending tariffs. Some economists pointed to robust consumer spending and private investment as a sign that growth could soon rebound.

Trump and his aides struggled to coalesce around a message about the GDP number, simultaneously saying it was bad because of Biden administration policies but also good because of Trump's efforts.

"You probably saw some numbers today, and I have to start off by saying that's Biden," Trump said to reporters, without elaborating as he referred to his Democratic predecessor.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-deflects-blame-economy-contraction-says-be-patient-2025-04-30/