Kerby Anderson

Over the last few weeks, President Trump has been touting his economic successes. In Davos, Switzerland he proclaimed, “America is open for business, and we are competitive once again.” He went on to remind those who gathered for the conference that “There has never been a better time to hire, to build, to invest, and to grow in the United States.” At the State of the Union speech he said, “We have created 2.4 million new jobs, including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.” He added that “Small business confidence is at an all-time high. The stock market has smashed one record after another, gaining $8 trillion in value.” I often say on my radio program that presidents frequently take too much credit for economic successes and are given too much blame for economic problems. But it is also clear that President Trump’s policies over the last year have begun to restructure the American economy. Slashing individual and corporate tax rates have also had a significant impact. More than 250 American companies have provided bonuses to their employees and have announced huge investments in their companies. All of this seems positive for the American economy and the American people. But you wouldn’t know it from the comments made by Trump’s critics. Leading Democrat leaders refer to the $1,000 bonuses being given out as “crumbs” that are “insignificant.” That’s not what they said in 2011 when it looked like the payroll tax cut might expire by the end of that year. At the time, they said that $40 per paycheck equals almost $1,000 per year and was very significant to American families. I predict that President Trump will continue to talk about the benefits of tax reform and a growing economy while his critics will attack Trumponomics. Voters during this election season will get to vote on which view they favor. I think I already know the response.