Trump’s America Features Bad Vibes and Bad Numbers. Horrendously Bad. (opens in new tab)

When the memory-holing of Joe Biden’s successes gets too stupid, I consult the October 19, 2024, issue of The Economist. That’s the cover that declared Biden’s post-pandemic economic turnaround “the envy of the world.” The American economy, the richly-detailed article went on, was “bigger and better than ever”—ever—and “has left the rest of the rich world in the dust.” That was a cool eighteen months ago. But then came this innocent question: “Will politics bring it back to Earth?” America’s ...