Is Trump Making the Economy Great Again?

An interesting read in Bloomberg today – https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-has-trump-made-america-great-again/

My quick takeaways:

• Say what you will about his approach, tactics, and lack of self-awareness and class, the economy seems to be doing well on a few key levels.
• As we all know, the economy is a VERY complicated beast. Is a strong 2017 economy the result of Trump’s policies and presence, or a carry-over from the Obama days?  As you can imagine, most opinions on this topic match up perfectly with one’s political leanings. #sad
• One argument favoring Trump (and the Republican-controlled Congress) is the clear pro-business, reduced-government-interference message being conveyed. And amplified by the fact that a single-party government generally has the ability to actually implement their agenda (as opposed to the usual DC Gridlock we see).
• Interestingly, the trade balance is actually worsening under the new administration.  I’d watch that closely in the coming years.
• Unfortunately, Trump and Congress are running roughshod over what I believe is our most pressing issue: the exploding national debt.  If you read to the end of the article, you’ll see what I mean.