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Trump Says the Economy Is Good. Is It?

With anxieties building over affordability, President Trump made a push to reassure Americans just as the government released long-awaited data that raised new questions about the economic health of the nation. Tony Romm, who covers economic policy for The New York Times, discusses how Mr. Trump is trying to take control of the issue, and Ben Cassleman, The Times’s chief economics correspondent, explains what the latest numbers tell us about why people are still so frustrated.
Duration
31m
Broadcast on
19 Dec 2025
Audio Format
other

With anxieties building over affordability, President Trump made a push to reassure Americans just as the government released long-awaited data that raised new questions about the economic health of the nation.

Tony Romm, who covers economic policy for The New York Times, discusses how Mr. Trump is trying to take control of the issue, and Ben Cassleman, The Times’s chief economics correspondent, explains what the latest numbers tell us about why people are still so frustrated.

Guest:

  • Tony Romm, a reporter in Washington covering economic policy and the Trump administration for The New York Times.
  • Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. From the New York Times, I'm Natalie Kitroev. This is The Daily. A new poll shows more Americans than ever disapprove of President Trump's handling of the economy. This week, all eyes have been on the economy. Man, my husband just left a grocery store. Everything has just went up double. This is getting crazy. We can't even afford groceries anymore. To put 20% down our house, that's a lot of money. Even I can't do it, we're gonna double shift. I'm 70 years old. I cannot afford to retire. With anxieties over affordability building, President Trump made a push to reassure Americans. The US labor market is showing further signs of cooling as the latest jobs report shows unemployment rising to 4.6%. Just as the government released long-awaited data that raised new questions about the economic health of the nation. Today, my colleagues, Tony Rahm, on how Trump is trying to take control of the issue that's become his biggest political vulnerability. And Ben Castleman, on what the latest numbers tell us about why people are still so frustrating. It's Friday, December 19. Welcome back to the show, Tony. It's great to have you. Hey, thanks for having me. There's been a lot of focus on the economy recently, especially since the November election, when voters made it very clear that affordability was a major concern for them, that they were stressed and anxious about it. And for the past few weeks, we've seen the administration go out and talk a lot about these concerns, including in an address to the nation by Trump on Wednesday. So please, Tony, walk us through what exactly Trump and his allies are saying. Yeah, this is really an attempt by President Trump

Transcription truncated.

With anxieties building over affordability, President Trump made a push to reassure Americans just as the government released long-awaited data that raised new questions about the economic health of the nation. Tony Romm, who covers economic policy for The New York Times, discusses how Mr. Trump is trying to take control of the issue, and Ben Cassleman, The Times’s chief economics correspondent, explains what the latest numbers tell us about why people are still so frustrated.