British News Agency

Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, the US president outlined his assessment of the economy’s performance during his term. Despite official data indicating otherwise, he claimed prices had fallen and productivity had “exceeded expectations.”

In remarks in Michigan, Trump said, “If you just look at the numbers, we are having the greatest first year anyone has ever seen,” citing inflation and GDP data and saying price increases had stabilized and the economy was growing at a faster pace by the end of 2025.

The US labor market, which Trump did not address in his speech, experienced its weakest year since the pandemic, with the unemployment rate reaching a four-year high.

In August, Trump fired the federal official responsible for labor statistics hours after data showed job growth had stalled.

However, on Tuesday he praised official figures he said were “incomparably better,” calling the numbers “incredible.”

Trump continues an extraordinary campaign to control the Federal Reserve, after unsuccessfully trying to force it to cut interest rates. Most recently, Jerome Powell was placed under criminal investigation over testimony related to renovations at the central bank’s headquarters.

Powell responded by saying the investigation was a pretext and followed the central bank’s decision to set interest rates based on “what best serves the public, rather than the president’s preferences.”

Trump claimed he was unaware of the investigation.