President Trump has had unprecedented success in international diplomacy, ending numerous wars and confrontations. He got Europe to start paying a larger percentage of its own defense and negotiated better trade deals with multiple partners. He has also secured the border and deported about 2 million illegal aliens.
And while negotiating peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan would earn him a Nobel Prize in a fair world, the issue the average American cares about most is the economy, particularly inflation and jobs. There are growing concerns that unless the messaging from the White House changes, voters may believe the president does not care about these basic issues or is incapable of addressing them. This perception could trigger a blue wave in the midterms and in the 2028 presidential election.
On the macroeconomic level, President Trump has delivered strong results. The Dow has gained approximately 10.5 percent in 2025, with an 11 percent year-to-date increase as of November 14. The index closed at 47,152.53 on November 14, 2025. GDP growth has been outstanding at an estimated 3.8 percent. In 2024 it was 2.8 percent. In 2025 tariff revenue reached record levels, with annual collections of $195 billion compared to $77 billion in 2024.
U.S. Treasury bond sales are up, showing that the world still trusts the U.S. dollar and the American economy. Under Biden in 2024, foreign demand for U.S. Treasuries was weak, with foreigners selling $16.7 billion in May 2024 and only buying $134.7 billion in July. Under President Trump in 2025, foreign demand surged. Purchases hit $142.7 billion in February and $183.2 billion in March. After a brief dip in April, foreign investors came back strong in May 2025 with $318.5 billion in purchases, the highest monthly total ever recorded. Even June and July remained far above 2024 levels.
Foreign direct investment is also soaring. The 2025 projection is a realistic $400 billion, compared to a revised $292 billion in 2024 and $297 billion in 2023. President Trump has claimed $12 trillion in commitments, but actual capital-expenditure pledges from January to April 2025 were about $200 billion, with analysts projecting a realistic 2025 total between $400 and $600 billion.
U.S. exports are up in both nominal and inflation-adjusted terms. From January through July 2025, exports totaled $1,978 billion, a 5.5 percent nominal increase compared to $1,875 billion during the same period in 2024.
Closer to home for most Americans is Gasoline prices, which have fallen. The annual average price for regular grade in 2025 is $3.08 per gallon, compared to $3.30 in 2024 and $3.51 to $3.52 in 2023.
The jobs numbers are an area where the economy is not performing well, and unfortunately they are among the key indicators circulated during elections. The unemployment rate in August 2025 was 4.3 percent, up three-tenths of a percentage point from the 2024 average of about 4.0 percent. At the same time, the labor-force participation rate slipped from 62.5 percent in December 2024 to 62.3 percent in August 2025.
Inflation is another area that is not performing well. President Trump promised to bring inflation down, and although it is far lower than the 9 percent peak under Biden, it remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. The Consumer Price Index shows inflation up slightly compared to 2024. In September 2025 inflation was 3.0 percent year-over-year, compared to a 2.9 percent annual rate in 2024 and 4.1 percent in 2023.
There is also some good news for the average person. Real wages have increased. From July 2024 to July 2025, real wages rose by 1.5 percent, with nominal wages up 4.2 percent and inflation at 2.7 percent.
A lot of what President Trump has done in these first ten months has been laying the groundwork for a stronger economy in the future, fixing structural problems that may cause short-term pain but will pay dividends later.
So far, the first year of the new Trump administration has delivered high GDP growth, record tariff revenue, record sales of U.S. Treasury bonds, record foreign direct investment, a U.S.–EU trade deal that is arguably the largest in history, and gasoline prices that are falling but still hovering around three dollars a gallon. Inflation is one percentage point above the target, and job creation remains sluggish.
However, the surge in foreign investment and strong GDP growth should lead to job creation in the near future, as these commitments turn into real projects with factories and other businesses being built and expanded across the country.
The post Where Trump’s Economy Is Surging — And Where It Needs a Course Correction appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.