Trump touched on several topics during his 18-minute address to the nation on Wednesday night, but did focus on cost of living and the economy, blaming former President Joe Biden for inflation while touting lower prices for groceries and gas across the nation. Morning Joe co-host Jonathan Lemire pressed Hassett on Trump's exaggerated claims Thursday, only for the advisor to claim that not only were the president's claims true, but that the facts were documented in a slide deck provided to each network.
Democrats dominated the first major Election Day since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. And while a debate about the future of the Democratic Party may have only just begun, there are signs that the economy - specifically, Trump's inability to deliver the economic turnaround he promised last fall - may be a real problem for Trump's GOP heading into next year's higher-stakes midterm elections.
Reality check: At the end of July Lutnick posted to X that "the Trump Economy has officially arrived," citing a strong GDP report. Since then, a combination of weak jobs data and hot inflation reports has painted a very different picture of an economy struggling to grow. Just Thursday, the Consumer Price Index showed inflation rising for a fourth consecutive month, while initial jobless claims were the highest in years.