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Monday, Dec. 22, 2025

 

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Is it Trump’s economy yet? Republicans in Congress have a nakedly political answer.

By Kevin Frey and Mychael Schnell

Is it Trump’s economy yet? Republicans in Congress have a nakedly political answer.

By Kevin Frey and Mychael Schnell

Although President Donald Trump remains fond of blaming Joe Biden for many of America’s financial hardships, he has also insisted — sometimes in the same breath — that the economy is thriving, recently giving the nation’s finances an “A+++++.”

 

But ask Republicans in Congress whose economy it actually is, as MS NOW did in recent days, and the answers grow noticeably murkier — and more cautious — reflecting both political calculation and lingering uncertainty about America’s financial reality.

 

For many Republicans, the response was nakedly political: The good parts belong to Trump; the bad parts still belong to Biden. “It depends on what part of the economy,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said. Others looked to downplay how much of the economy belongs to the current president, despite Trump’s insistence that, “starting on Day One, we will end inflation and make America affordable again.”

 

Some Republicans were clear that nearly a year into Trump’s presidency, it’s his economy. Asked at what point it becomes the Trump economy, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said, “It is now.”

 

Still, time and again, when MS NOW asked if it was Trump’s economy, they gave excuses as to why Americans may still be struggling as the calendar approaches 2026.

 

This is a preview of Kevin Frey and Mychael Schnell's latest article. Read the full article here.

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