Trump: Good economy is mine, bad economy is Biden's
President Trump said Sunday he was responsible for the "good parts" of the economy, though his administration's trade policies have rattled America and stoked fears of an imminent recession.
Why it matters: It is the strongest signal yet of Trump's intention to deflect blame for any economic fallout that could happen in coming months.
What they're saying: "I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he's done a terrible job," Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker."
The big picture: Official economic data suggests the economy is holding up, despite closely-watched surveys that show businesses and consumers are on edge as tariffs take effect.
The economy contracted at an annualized 0.3% rate in the first three months of the year, according to GDP data released on Wednesday.
But the report was negatively distorted by a huge swing in imports, as businesses rushed to stockpile ahead of tariffs taking effect. Without that effect, underlying economic demand held up.
The April jobs report showed employers added 177,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate held at an historically low level.
The big picture: Trump told "Meet the Press" that he ultimately takes "responsibility for everything."
"But I've only just been here for a little more than three months," Trump added. "And the tariffs have just started kicking in. And we're doing really well."
Reality check: The White House said the economic contraction — the first in 3 years — was fallout from the Biden era, though economists point to Trump's trade policies, and efforts to dodge them, for weighing on the headline figure.
The economy grew at an annualized 2.8% rate in the fourth quarter of 2024 — the last that fully captured Biden's time in office.
When the better-than-expected jobs report was released on Friday, Trump bragged about the economy in a post on Truth Social that noted strong employment.
What to watch: Many Wall Street economic forecasters anticipate Trump's tariff policies — if upheld — will slow growth and raise costs this year.
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Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Iran's supreme leader asks Putin to do more after US strikes
By Parisa Hafezi and Guy Faulconbridge ISTANBUL/MOSCOW (Reuters) -Iran's supreme leader sent his foreign minister to Moscow on Monday to ask President Vladimir Putin for more help from Russia after the biggest U.S. military action against the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution over the weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel have publicly speculated about killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and about regime change, a step Russia fears could sink the Middle East into the abyss. While Putin has condemned the Israeli strikes, he has yet to comment on the U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites though he last week called for calm and offered Moscow's services as a mediator over the nuclear programme. A senior source told Reuters that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was due to deliver a letter from Khamenei to Putin, seeking the latter's support. Iran has not been impressed with Russia's support so far, Iranian sources told Reuters, and the country wants Putin to do more to back it against Israel and the United States. The sources did not elaborate on what assistance Tehran wanted. The Kremlin said that Putin would receive Araqchi but did not say what would be discussed. Araqchi was quoted by the state TASS news agency as saying that Iran and Russia were coordinating their positions on the current escalation in the Middle East. Putin has repeatedly offered to mediate between the United States and Iran, and said that he had conveyed Moscow's ideas on resolving the conflict to them while ensuring Iran's continued access to civil nuclear energy. The Kremlin chief last week refused to discuss the possibility that Israel and the United States would kill Khamenei. Putin said that Israel had given Moscow assurances that Russian specialists helping to build two more reactors at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran would not be hurt in air strikes. Russia, a longstanding ally of Tehran, plays a role in Iran's nuclear negotiations with the West as a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member and a signatory to an earlier nuclear deal Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. But Putin, whose army is fighting a major war of attrition in Ukraine for the fourth year, has so far shown little appetite in public for diving into a confrontation with the United States over Iran just as Trump seeks to repair ties with Moscow. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Newsweek
22 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Marjorie Taylor Greene Criticizes Trump Over Iran: 'Not Disloyalty'
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"Because contrary to what brainwashed Democrat boomers say, Trump is not a king, MAGA is not a cult, and President Trump has surrounded himself with people who once disagreed with him and even ran against him for President." Newsweek has contacted a spokesperson for Greene and the White House for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene presiding over a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February 26. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene presiding over a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February It Matters Trump announced on Saturday night that the U.S. struck three sites in Iran to hinder its ability to develop a nuclear weapon, inserting itself in the Israel-Iran conflict. For days prior to the U.S.'s strike, Greene—who is among the president's most devout supporters in the Make America Great Again movement—had urged against deeper American involvement, saying it would be counter to Trump's promises to keep the U.S. out of costly foreign wars. Greene has consistently defended Trump and his MAGA agenda since joining Congress in 2021, and her post on Sunday appears to be the first time she has called the president out by name. The congresswoman, who is up for reelection next year, risks Trump's wrath and may hinder her chances in the 2026 midterms. The president has already lashed out at Representative Thomas Massie after the Kentucky Republican criticized Trump's decision to bomb Iran, with Axios reporting that the president's political operation has launched an effort to unseat Massie. What To Know Greene and other high-profile Trump backers had publicly spoken out against U.S. involvement in the conflict in the days leading up to the president's announcement. After Trump announced the strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, Greene wrote on X, "Let us join together and pray for the safety of our U.S. troops and Americans in the Middle East." In a follow-up post, she fiercely criticized the decision to get involved in "another senseless foreign war." "I'm 51 years old. I'm GenX," Greene wrote. "I've watched our country go to war in foreign lands for foreign causes on behalf of foreign interests for as long as I can remember. I was in 10th grade when Desert Storm started and my father before me was sent to Vietnam, another senseless foreign war." She added: "Foreign wars have cost Americans TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS of dollars that never benefited any American. "American troops have been killed and forever torn apart physically and mentally for regime change, foreign wars, and for military industrial base profits. I'm sick of it." Greene continued: "I can easily say I support nuclear armed Israel's right to defend themselves and also say at the same time I don't want to fight or fund nuclear armed Israel's wars. Nor any other country for that matter." In the same post, she criticized "Democrats in Congress that are all of sudden clutching their pearls about Trump bombing Iran," saying they "FULLY SUPPORTED AND VOTED TO FUND Dementia ridden Biden's proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and stood by Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan." What People Are Saying Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene previously spoke with Newsweek about a poll showing that most GOP voters opposed U.S. military involvement in the conflict: "It's no surprise that a majority of Republicans oppose U.S. intervention in Israel's war with Iran. In November, voters cast their ballots to end the forever wars. I'm not surprised one bit. Americans want our government focused on solving our problems here at home, and we have many to solve." William F. Hall, an adjunct professor of political science and business at Webster University in St. Louis, recently told Newsweek: "[Greene] currently finds herself in a predicament of having to choose between, continuing to honor her past positions of being staunchly against further U.S. involvement in foreign wars … and continuing her staunch unwavering support for President Trump's policy positions, including his evolving policy with respect to potential engagements in foreign wars in the Middle East Region, including his increasing potential to involve the U.S. in the Israeli-Iran war." What Happens Next It is not clear whether the U.S. will continue attacking Iran alongside Israel. Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates against American forces.
USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
Because of Trump, this Pride Month feels different. Hateful. But we will win.
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This isn't the only instance of Trump and Republicans trying to destroy the progress made by LGBTQ+ people in the decades since Pride Month celebrations began. Here are some of the other ways the LGBTQ+ community has been targeted this June. Remember, the point from Republican leaders is to inflict pain for political points. It's not to help children. Unforgivable: It will cost LGBTQ+ lives if Trump shuts down 988 suicide hotline | Opinion Supreme Court rules against trans youth In the months following Trump's second inauguration, the transgender community has borne the brunt of Republican ire. Another blow to the community was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, when the justices voted 6-3 to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The court ruled that the law, which prevents young people from using puberty blockers or hormone therapy, doesn't violate the 14th Amendment. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the court 'abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.' Chase Strangio, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union and the first openly transgender person to argue in front of the Supreme Court, called the decision a 'painful setback' but stressed the need to continue the fight for trans rights. The children who do seek this type of gender-affirming care know who they are. Hormones and puberty blockers aren't prescribed unless these children can prove that they are suffering from distress that would be eased by treatment. This ban, and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold it, show that the 'debate' over trans people's identity isn't about keeping kids safe. It's about controlling people who are different. It's not about protecting kids; it's about hurting them to make Republican leaders feel good about themselves. Opinion: As a gay man, I'm finally flying a pride flag. I don't know what took so long. Navy may no longer honor Harvey Milk with vessel It's not just the present that is being affected by the Trump administration. It's also how we remember the past. On June 3, U.S. officials confirmed that the USNS Harvey Milk, a naval oil tanker named for the late LGBTQ+ rights activist. Milk, who served as a U.S. Navy operations officer on rescue submarines during the Korean War then went on to become the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, was assassinated in 1978. While it's unclear when the renaming will occur, it's clearly part of the Trump administration's efforts to scrub anything related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the public record. Opinion: I told you GOP would come for marriage. Southern Baptists just proved my point. It's disgraceful that Trump wants to rid the government of as much LGBTQ+ history as possible. It is shameful that something as simple as a dedication is being questioned. It may not seem like a big deal to some people, but it shows that the primary goal of the Trump administration is to make people feel like their lives and their history don't matter. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. All of this started well before this Pride Month. One of the first things Trump did upon his second inauguration was declare that the country would only recognize two genders. In February, his administration removed references to transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument's website. Bills have been introduced in several state legislatures that attempt to overturn the Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage. The LGBTQ+ community is strong. We have remained defiant for decades, and we'll continue to speak out as Trump and Republican lamakers try to silence us. It's just heartbreaking that this is happening during a month that we are supposed to be celebrating. Republicans aren't going to stop until we're all back in the closet. We must continue to fight for progress, for the benefit of all. In the end, history will remember who was on the wrong side of history – and it certainly won't be those of us fighting to keep our rights. Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
