Donald Trump Declares The U.S. Economy Is Now The Trump Economy In Super Bowl Interview
President Donald Trump says the U.S. economy is already his and he’s proud of it.
In an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas that aired during Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Trump made clear he believes the country has fully transitioned into what he calls the “Trump economy.”
“At what point are we in the Trump economy?” Llamas asked.
“I’d say we’re there now,” Trump replied. “I’m very proud of it.”
Economic Confidence Amid Public Skepticism
Trump’s remarks come as polling shows broad dissatisfaction with the economy. An NPR/Marist/PBS News survey released last week found that 36% of adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy, while 59% disapprove.
Economic concerns played a major role in last November’s off-year elections. In states like Virginia, New Jersey and New York, Democrats focused heavily on affordability issues, including food, housing and energy costs, and saw electoral gains.
Despite that, Trump argued during the Oval Office interview, taped Wednesday, that Democrats are backing away from their affordability message.
“In the last four days, it’s only four days, the Democrats have not uttered the word ‘affordability,’” he said. “They’re the ones that caused the problem. I took over a mess in every way.”
Trump again blamed former President Joe Biden for high prices on everyday goods.
Disputed Growth Claims
During the interview, Trump said the economy has grown by 5.6% under his leadership. However, official government data does not support that figure.
According to the Labor Department, the economy expanded at an annualized rate of 4.4% in the third quarter of 2025. It has not surpassed 5% growth in any quarter since 2021, during the post-pandemic rebound.
The first quarter of 2025 saw economic contraction, partly tied to uncertainty around trade and tariff policies that were later announced in April.
Fourth-quarter data for 2025 has not yet been released because of a recent government shutdown. A White House official said Trump was referring to a projection from the Atlanta Federal Reserve, which has at times estimated growth as high as 5.4%. Most independent forecasts place growth lower than that.
Investment Numbers Under Scrutiny
Trump also highlighted foreign investment as a sign of economic strength.
“I think ’26 is even gonna be better,” he told Llamas. “We have hundreds of billions of dollars pouring into our country. Actually trillions, $18 trillion is being invested in our country as we speak.”
Publicly available figures from the White House list approximately $9.6 trillion in investment commitments, roughly half the number Trump cited. Independent analyses have suggested that some of those commitments may be overstated or not fully finalized.
When asked whether new foreign factories and plants would open before his term ends in January 2029, Trump was confident.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “They’ll be opening up over the next year, year and a half.”
Framing the Economic Narrative
Trump has consistently worked to define the economy on his terms. In a May appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he said the “good parts” of the economy belonged to him, while the “bad parts” were inherited from Biden.
With the November midterms approaching, the president is expected to continue emphasizing job growth, domestic manufacturing and foreign investment. At the same time, polls show many voters remain concerned about cost-of-living pressures.
Whether Americans ultimately embrace Trump’s claim that it is now “his economy” may shape the political landscape heading into 2026.
