Why Trump’s Economy is Weird AF

What A Day

Crooked Media

News, Daily News

4.6 • 12K Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is the U.S. economy … good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle? If it feels like you're desperately shaking a Magic 8 Ball for economic tea leaves, and even it's telling you, 'Ask again later.' Well, it might be on to something. While we're all hearing anecdotes about empty cargo ships from China and fewer people eating at McDonald's, the hard data that would point to a possible recession hasn't shown up yet. Case in point: Tuesday's better-than-expected Consumer Price Index numbers, showed inflation cooled slightly last month despite uncertainty around President Donald Trump's tariffs. Ben Casselman, chief economics correspondent for The New York Times, explains why the vibes don't match the data. And in headlines: President Trump eliminated sanctions on Syria, Cassie Ventura began testifying in music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial, and the Trump Administration ended federal temporary protected status for Afghans in the U.S.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's Wednesday, May 14th.
0:03.9	I'm Jane Koston, and this is what a day.
0:06.2	The show that appreciates Pope Leo the 14th sense of brevity.
0:09.9	When asked by a reporter if he had any message for the United States, the Pope said,
0:14.4	and I quote, many.
0:16.8	Your holiness, same.
0:28.2	Thank you. Your holiness, same. On today's show, singer Cassie Ventura takes a stand in music mogul Sean Diddy Combs' federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial.
0:36.2	And the Trump administration ends temporary protected status for Afghans in the U.S.
0:40.9	But let's start with the economy, which is, well, actually, I don't know.
0:46.9	And that's frustrating as a consumer and an American.
0:50.4	On Tuesday, new federal data showed inflation slowed in the month of April. It rose a little more
0:55.6	than 2% from a year earlier, the slowest annual pace since 2021. Egg prices fell, and so did the price
1:02.4	of gas. Separately, some economists are also saying that the U.S.'s new deal with China to temporarily
1:08.4	slash tariffs might be enough to save off a recession.
1:11.7	And that's good. Seriously. So why do I, and maybe you, still feel pretty anxious about how
1:18.5	the economy is doing? And I'm not just saying that. Consumer confidence is on par with where
1:23.5	it's set in May of 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
1:30.4	Companies are warning us that they may have to raise prices.
1:35.2	And President Donald Trump is very helpfully telling us all to just buy fewer dolls while he's gifted a $400 million plane from Qatar.
1:38.6	Make it make sense.
1:40.1	And sure, the stock market may be happy right now,
1:42.8	but that's because the Trump administration,
	...

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