Why wasn't the "vibecession" a thing when Trump was POTUS?

[Mr. Ukucasha]

Although the stock market is booming and people are rating their personal financial situation as better than ever, most people believe that the economy at-large is doing badly and blame Biden for this. A similar "vibecession" (although not nearly to the same extent) occurred during the latter years of the Obama administration, when the economy greatly improved but the vibes did not. However, when Trump was POTUS, people widely believed it was the best economy ever despite the economy merely maintaining its growth rate during the latter Obama years. Is it because Trump is a Republican? Is it because people subconsciously perceive the right as good at more "masculine" issues such as the economy and defense, while the left is good at more "feminine" issues such as education and the environment?

[OSR stands with Israel]

It’s because in 2015-16 there was a recession when it came to the manufacturing industry so the latter Obama economy depended on which sector you worked in . Today the answer can’t be more obvious and that is the economy is clearly not as good as it was in 2019:

- Tech Industry is in way worse shape and not hiring anywhere close to as they used to .

- You had a massive amount of retirements during Covid so unemployment numbers are more skewed due to that

- cost of living crises is way way worse than it was in 2019 .

[GeneralMacArthur]

When a Republican is president, Democrats viciously attack him, while Republicans staunchly defend him.

When a Democrat is president, Democrats viciously attack him, while Republicans viciously attack him.

[Roll Roons]

Even if the rate of inflation is lower than it was in 2021 and 2022, basic things like housing and food are still considerably more expensive than they were in 2019.

[Ferguson97]

Because the media likes Republicans and wants them to win.

[Del Tachi]

The left very much tried to manifest a Trump recession.  Remember Alexandria “unemployment is so low because everyone is working two jobs” Ocasio-Cortez?

[Pres Mike]

The recovery of the Obama years was very uneven. Here in West Tennessee, it felt like the recession was still around 2014/2015. I remember looking for a part time job in 2016 in high school and it was quite difficult. I remember multiple interviews for retail! Competing with seniors!

It was until the Trump tax cuts did I start seeing a lot of job openings

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Because the Enemy Of The People Media gets more money when clowns like Trump are in power. Therefore, they invent sh**t to get him back it.

[Electric Circus]

Even if the rate of inflation is lower than it was in 2021 and 2022, basic things like housing and food are still considerably more expensive than they were in 2019.

It says a lot about the user base of this site that a popular answer to this question is to blame freedom of the press. Anyone who spends a few minutes reflecting on what it was like to manage a household budget in 2019 compared to today knows the answer to this question.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

Because the media likes Republicans and wants them to win.

Because the Enemy Of The People Media gets more money when clowns like Trump are in power. Therefore, they invent sh**t to get him back it.

"The media" is only giving consumers what they are asking for (and what they have rewarded in the past).

GMac is right that a problem for Democrats here and in other issues is an asymmetry where a large part of the D coalition is addicted to miserable news and, as a corollary, isn't interested in positive news because it doesn't fit in with the aesthetic they want to project. Meanwhile, there's a large part of the GOP base that's willing to spread and parrot whatever message fits with their strategic aims.

[nerd73]

Because the media likes Republicans and wants them to win.

Because the Enemy Of The People Media gets more money when clowns like Trump are in power. Therefore, they invent sh**t to get him back it.

"The media" is only giving consumers what they are asking for (and what they have rewarded in the past).

GMac is right that a problem for Democrats here and in other issues is an asymmetry where a large part of the D coalition is addicted to miserable news and, as a corollary, isn't interested in positive news because it doesn't fit in with the aesthetic they want to project. Meanwhile, there's a large part of the GOP base that's willing to spread and parrot whatever message fits with their strategic aims.

Agreed. 100%. I find myself falling into this trap personally many times.

[Mr. Ukucasha]

The left very much tried to manifest a Trump recession.  Remember Alexandria “unemployment is so low because everyone is working two jobs” Ocasio-Cortez?

I'm talking about the electorate at-large, not politicians. During the Trump-era, people largely rated both their personal financial situations and the economy at-large very positively, but during the Biden-era, despite people still largely rating their personal financial situations positively, they perceive the economy at large as performing poorly despite being objectively stronger than it was during the Trump-era.

[Mr. Ukucasha]

It’s because in 2015-16 there was a recession when it came to the manufacturing industry so the latter Obama economy depended on which sector you worked in . Today the answer can’t be more obvious and that is the economy is clearly not as good as it was in 2019:

- Tech Industry is in way worse shape and not hiring anywhere close to as they used to .

- You had a massive amount of retirements during Covid so unemployment numbers are more skewed due to that

- cost of living crises is way way worse than it was in 2019 .

Even if the rate of inflation is lower than it was in 2021 and 2022, basic things like housing and food are still considerably more expensive than they were in 2019.

It says a lot about the user base of this site that a popular answer to this question is to blame freedom of the press. Anyone who spends a few minutes reflecting on what it was like to manage a household budget in 2019 compared to today knows the answer to this question.

Even if the rate of inflation is lower than it was in 2021 and 2022, basic things like housing and food are still considerably more expensive than they were in 2019.

In 2019, US food inflation ranged from 1.6% to 2.1%, and as of February 2024, it is at 2.2%.
Yes, food prices are marginally higher than they were in 2019, but not nearly enough to justify such a huge difference in the public's perception of the economy at-large, especially since wages, employment rates, and stock prices have all increased significantly more than food prices.

And housing inflation has actually decreased since 2019 (2019: 2.89%, 2024: 2.75%).

Yes, inflation overall is slightly higher than in 2019, but wages, employment rates, stock prices, and just about everything else are significantly higher.

[GP270watch]

 The corporate media is in the tank for Republicans on financial reporting. I remember the media talking about how great the George W. Bush economy was when it was never any good for a prolonged period. Then the wheels fell off and of course they blamed poor people. There is an idiotic orthodoxy that Republicans are good for the economy and business when their economic record is abysmal compared to Democrats.

[Electric Circus]

In 2019, US food inflation ranged from 1.6% to 2.1%, and as of February 2024, it is at 2.2%.
Yes, food prices are marginally higher than they were in 2019,but not nearly enough to justify such a huge difference in the public's perception of the economy at-large, especially since wages, employment rates, and stock prices have all increased significantly more than food prices.

And housing inflation has actually decreased since 2019 (2019: 2.89%, 2024: 2.75%).

Yes, inflation overall is slightly higher than in 2019, but wages, employment rates, stock prices, and just about everything else are significantly higher.

1. Food prices are around 25% higher than they were in 2019. That's not "marginally higher" for a lot of people.

2. Wages have barely kept pace with inflation, and have not kept pace with the cost of shelter in much of the country. Lots of people feel like they're struggling to get by even though it's easier to find work. Also, averages conceal variation. For many households, incomes have not kept pace.

3. Housing prices are rising more slowly because high interest rates have paralyzed the market. Lots of aspiring first-time homebuyers can't afford 7% on a 30-year loan. Plenty of homeowners aren't going to risk moving when that means doubling their rate.


Inflation creates anxiety that sticks with people even after the rate of inflation slows. It takes time for people to get accustomed to a new price level. Many Americans were too young to have experienced anything like that before.

Inflation also creates insecurity even for people whose incomes have grown with it, because most sources of income aren't guaranteed. If my cost of living increases by $20,000 per year, that is $20,000 that I need to earn every year, somehow, for the rest of my life.

I'm not sure what the argument is here. You win people over through empathy and persuasion, not by insisting that their views are invalid. No one is obliged to say that they like this economy just because you're happy with your preferred KPIs.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

It’s because in 2015-16 there was a recession when it came to the manufacturing industry so the latter Obama economy depended on which sector you worked in . Today the answer can’t be more obvious and that is the economy is clearly not as good as it was in 2019:

- Tech Industry is in way worse shape and not hiring anywhere close to as they used to .

- You had a massive amount of retirements during Covid so unemployment numbers are more skewed due to that

- cost of living crises is way way worse than it was in 2019 .

Even if the rate of inflation is lower than it was in 2021 and 2022, basic things like housing and food are still considerably more expensive than they were in 2019.

It says a lot about the user base of this site that a popular answer to this question is to blame freedom of the press. Anyone who spends a few minutes reflecting on what it was like to manage a household budget in 2019 compared to today knows the answer to this question.

Even if the rate of inflation is lower than it was in 2021 and 2022, basic things like housing and food are still considerably more expensive than they were in 2019.

In 2019, US food inflation ranged from 1.6% to 2.1%, and as of February 2024, it is at 2.2%.
Yes, food prices are marginally higher than they were in 2019, but not nearly enough to justify such a huge difference in the public's perception of the economy at-large, especially since wages, employment rates, and stock prices have all increased significantly more than food prices.

And housing inflation has actually decreased since 2019 (2019: 2.89%, 2024: 2.75%).

Yes, inflation overall is slightly higher than in 2019, but wages, employment rates, stock prices, and just about everything else are significantly higher.

While economists understand that deflation isn't a good thing, when lots of inflation occurs quickly (as in 2021 and 2022), the new prices don't have time to be a mental baseline for a lot of people.  There's still a sense that prices are too high because they're so much higher than 2019 or 2020, even if the inflation rate has come back down.

And, inflation versus five years ago is much higher in 2024 (relative to 2019) than it was in 2019 (relative to 2014).

[Barack Oganja]

Inflation, that's it. Effects everyone.

[Vice President Christian Man]

The left very much tried to manifest a Trump recession.  Remember Alexandria “unemployment is so low because everyone is working two jobs” Ocasio-Cortez?

For many American's, working 2+ jobs is the only reason they aren't in poverty.

[HisGrace]

Cost of living has gone up dramatically and kind of nerfed whatever economic gains have been made. Trump isn't going to fix it either but it is what it is.

That said, the economy is still inarguably better than when Biden took office just like it was for Obama so hopefully he's able to cash in on that even if people are still frustrated like they were in 12.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

People got spoiled and got stimulus checks and since Trump gave out stimulus money they think he will give out more. These are the RFK fans and like Redban, but the majority of us knows that there arent anymore stimulus checks unless there is reparations

The RFK fans think they are really getting Rodgers as VIP and he's under contract with the Jets

I hear this in CA I am voting for RFK he might be open to more stimulus checks

I can't wait til we vote so these stop these Approvals of Trump and think somehow he's gonna win 28 percent of the blk vote because 55 percent of the blk vote are females not blk men and there is none outreach to blk females only men

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

They are giving Seniors 2200 in SSA benefits for 1 more stimulus checks but to no one under 65 under a D Congress we will get more stimulus

[AlterEgo]

Although the stock market is booming and people are rating their personal financial situation as better than ever, most people believe that the economy at-large is doing badly and blame Biden for this. A similar "vibecession" (although not nearly to the same extent) occurred during the latter years of the Obama administration, when the economy greatly improved but the vibes did not. However, when Trump was POTUS, people widely believed it was the best economy ever despite the economy merely maintaining its growth rate during the latter Obama years. Is it because Trump is a Republican? Is it because people subconsciously perceive the right as good at more "masculine" issues such as the economy and defense, while the left is good at more "feminine" issues such as education and the environment?

Eh, the stock market has only been "booming" since about the beginning of November. S&P 500 was almost a straight line down throughout most of 2022, and then had slow gains occurring from Oct 2022-Nov-2023. I mean, the S&P has gained as much from Nov 2023-now as it did in the approximately 13 months from Oct 2022-Nov 2023.

Also not sure about people rating their personal financial situation better than ever. Searched around. Found a few polls that said this, but also found 2-3x as many that said the opposite. We're likely looking at a very mixed bag there.

[Mopsus]

What were the cost of groceries, gas, and housing then compared to now? That’s what influences people’s perception of the economy, not fake nerd numbers like “unemployment” and “GDP”.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I think the issue is the post-pandemic economy we're in. Like it or not, the pandemic changed the economic landscape of the world, and people aren't used to it.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Tech layoffs are somehow beating 2008 for the worst since the dot com crash.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/15/laid-off-techies-struggle-to-find-jobs-with-cuts-at-highest-since-2001.html