04/03/2017
Growth in the Obama Years
With the release of the final revision to fourth-quarter GDP the other day, via the Commerce Department, 2.1 percent annualized, as Jonathan Trugman of the New York Post reported, that means the Obama years yielded average growth of just 1.6 percent; the worst of 12 post-war presidencies.
So here are the average growth rates for each president, courtesy of Jeffrey H. Anderson, Hudson Institute.
Johnson (1964-68)...5.3 percent
Kennedy (1961-63)...4.3
Clinton (1993-2000)...3.9
Reagan (1981-88)...3.5
Carter (1977-80)...3.3
Eisenhower (1953-60)...3.0
Nixon (1969-74)...2.8
Ford (1975-76)...2.6
G.H.W. Bush (1989-92)...2.3
G.W. Bush (2001-08)...2.1
Truman (1946-52)...1.7
Obama (2009-16)...1.6
Wall Street History will return in a few weeks.
Brian Trumbore
