Donald Trump ‘proud’ of US economy but 52pc of Americans ‘can’t pay their bills on time’

Mr Trump, who has previously blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for the “bad parts” of the economy, appeared to finally take ownership in an interview with NBC News that aired during Super Bowl LX Sunday.

“At what point are we in the Trump economy?” journalist Tom Llamas asked the president.

“I’d say we’re there now,” he replied. “I’m very proud of it.”

Mr Trump went on to claim that opposition Democrats have been forced to abandon their winning “affordability” rhetoric given the success of his administration and claim boldly that the coming year is “even gonna be better” thanks to his controversial reciprocal tariffs policy.

“You know, we have hundreds of billions of dollars pouring into our country. Actually trillions – $18tn is being invested in our country as we speak,” he told Mr Llamas. “And there are factories and plants and thousands of businesses being built all over the country.”

But, on Friday, a nationwide survey from Talker Research for Current.com found that nine US citizens in 10 believed the country was caught up in an inflation crisis, with eight in 10 saying they felt the cost of consumer goods had actually become more expensive since Mr Trump took office in January 2025, not less.

The same study revealed that 52pc of respondents were failing to pay their monthly bills on time and as many again struggling to afford basic necessities.

Another 38pc said they had been forced to move because they could no longer afford to live in their previous location, while 64pc said they had given up on the possibility of ever being able to live in their dream location because of the financial constraints they face.

The president’s confidence in his economic record was also called into question by another survey last week from NPR/Marist/PBS News, which found that 59pc of US adults disapproved of his stewardship, compared to just 36pc in favour.

Mr Trump also cited data in his NBC interview that was not supported by his administration’s own figures, claiming that the US’s GDP had grown by 5.6 pc on his watch, whereas the Department of Labour records the economy’s annualised growth rate at 4.4pc for the third quarter of 2025.

The department has not released fourth quarter data as a result of last autumn’s government shutdown impeding its record-keeping.

The US economy has not experienced quarterly growth of more than 5pc since 2021

A White House official told NBC Mr Trump was alluding to a projection put out by the Atlanta Federal Reserve, which was still only 5.4pc and higher than most other estimates.

The US economy has not experienced quarterly growth of more than 5pc at any point since 2021, when the country was rebounding from the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns.

Pressed by Mr Llamas on whether the factory openings he promised would happen before Mr Trump leaves office in January 2029, the president answered: “Oh, yeah. They’ll be opening up over the next year, year-and-a-half, yeah.”

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has once again resorted to trolling world leaders by sharing an AI-generated map that shows Greenland, Canada and Venezuela covered in the US flag.

It was part of a late-night posting spree and was reshared by the president without comment.

The doctored image, first posted in January, shows Mr Trump in the Oval Office with various European leaders including UK prime minister Keir Starmer, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, French president Emmanuel Macron and president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

In the background, to Mr Trump’s left, is a map of the Americas that shows the president’s dream of an expanded American empire.

The provocative post threatens to reignite a row over the future of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory that is part of the kingdom of Denmark.

Mr Trump has insisted the large island must become part of the US for security reasons, even though an existing treaty with Denmark already allows the US full military access to Greenland.

Fear has grown across Europe and the Americas that Trump will make good on his threats to forcibly take Greenland, in a move that would rupture the Nato military alliance and pit the US against its longest and strongest European allies.

Mr Trump previously refused to rule out sending in armed forces, before walking back that suggestion at the Davos summit in Switzerland in January.

In another AI-generated image shared by Mr Trump a few weeks ago, he is shown planting the American flag in Greenland alongside vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio. A sign in the foreground reads: “Greenland – US Territory Est. 2026.”