'Um, not so fast': Trump admin accused of fudging figures on faltering economy

[LetMyPeopleVote]

trump fired all of the people who were keeping accurate numbers. No one should trust any numbers from the trump administration

'Um, not so fast': Trump admin accused of fudging figures on faltering economy

www.rawstory.com/alternet-pos...

— Anne Grete (GoogeliArt) 🦋💙PD (@googeliart.bsky.social) 2025-12-27T02:05:58.722Z

https://www.rawstory.com/alternet-posts/trump-economy-inflation-business-owners/

President Donald Trump and his helpers are cheering prematurely over some good economic numbers that came out this month, according to Los Angeles Times reporter Michael Hiltzik.

On Dec. 18, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that inflation had fallen to an annual rate of 2.7 percent in November, down from 3 percent in September. Then, on Tuesday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that real gross domestic product had gone up by a surprising 4.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter of 2025....

“Um, not so fast,” said Hiltzik, pointing out that the 43-day government shutdown from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12 was the most important cause of gaps in the collected data for the consumer price index calculation.

“You've got to take it with a grain of salt," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG US, of the inflation report. "It's confusing and it doesn't quite square with prices that we've observed."

Swonk said Trump’s steep cutbacks at the BLS had already reduced the staff assigned to sampling prices by 25 percent. That prompted the agency to substitute "imputed" numbers in lieu of hard data.

"Those cases can show up as zeros in the percent change of the release," Swonk wrote, which lowers the bottom-line figure. In fact, a sampling scheduled for mid-October had to be canceled, so figures dating from August were used instead. This conceals any price increases in subsequent months.

“A major problem concerns housing costs, which account for about one-third of the data inputs for the (Consumer Price Index),” Hiltzik reports. “Because the BLS was unable to collect rental data for October, it implied that the monthly change in rents was 0 percent in October — further skewing the reported CPI lower. Experts say it will take at least six months to use newly collected data to provide a reliable estimate of housing inflation.”

[Blue Owl]

1. I'm not sure that's fudge on those little feculent fingers

[malaise]

2. I can't wait for the

Fate of the Union speech😀

[Hassler]

3. Global stocks are up 30% US stocks 18%

Over the past year. That's how bad his numbers are "off." Believe nothing coming from him.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. MaddowBlog-Economic growth increases, but the good news comes with some important fine print

While Trump was quick to celebrate the latest GDP data, other indicators ought to keep the enthusiasm in check.

Link to tweet

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/economic-growth-increases-but-the-good-news-comes-with-some-important-fine-print

While the president was understandably quick to celebrate the latest data, there are some additional elements to the news that ought to keep the enthusiastic response in check.

For one thing, the strong growth in the third quarter (spanning July through September) clearly did not translate into job growth.

For another, The Associated Press reported that the latest update from The Conference Board showed that consumer confidence fell in December to its lowest level since the White House’s tariffs were rolled out in April.

Just as notable are some of the details in the GDP report itself. The Times’ report added, for example, “Disposable personal income, after taxes and adjusted for inflation, was flat, a sign of nagging inflation still eating into purchasing power. … Lower-income families are wrestling with slowing wage growth and rising costs of various household goods, like beef, coffee and furniture.”

This dynamic is fueling concerns about what’s known as a “K-shaped” economy, in which those at the top fare well and keep spending, while those with less struggle more.

In his latest Substack essay, economist Paul Krugman explained, “Trump may be largely, though indirectly, responsible for the K-shaped economy. His tariff and other policies have created uncertainty that has paralyzed hiring. The fact that workers are finding jobs hard to get, in turn, has hurt the employment and wages of disadvantaged groups, including ethnic minorities and low-wage workers in general.”

It’s something to keep in mind as the president tries to pat himself on the back.

[kimbutgar]

5. This administration is such a lying POS there is nothing I believe that comes from them

They don’t care about us and lying is their way of life!

[calimary]

6. How soon they all forget.

Trump LIES.

He LIES, and then he lies SOME MORE.

That’s what he’s good at, and that’s pretty much ALL he’s good at it. That’s the one thing he’s always been good at. It’s a trick he learned very early, and he’s made it work for him all his damned miserable deceitful life.

My dad was a salesman - a very successful one. But he could back up every sales pitch he ever used. I watched him do it. With trump, there’s no such thing. All you get from him are lies and more lies to bolster the lies he just told you.

Maybe he keeps getting away with it because most people fall for it easily - because they want it to be true.