Jasper Johns Map 1961 (yes, it’s the US)
Post brain fart, we’ll slowly be coming back, having used the forced pause to make some long intended changes. Let’s see where this leads us. I want to do some more writing than in the past few years, though I don’t know if I even still know how to do it. But losing RT again seems a good moment to do it (BTW, if anyone has a URL for RT that works in Holland, you’d make me very happy)
Late last month, I noticed something that hasn’t seemed to make the news very much. oddly enough. That is, Matt Margolis reported, based on a report by Maria Bartiromo at Fox Business who in turn quoted a CNBC article , citing the Commerce Department. According to them, annualized Q3 US GDP went places that for a long time nobody said it could. It rose 4.3%. Not 1, not 2, not even 3, but 4.3%. That is a serious number. People were saying 5% came to mind. Yesterday,a month later, President Trump mentioned 5.4% (not sure for what period). And despite all the commentary on his Davos “performance”, nobody even mentioned, let alone tried to refute, the number.
• New GDP Numbers Just Dropped, and Democrats Should Be Freaking Out (Matt Margolis)
Things I’m interested in now:Democrats just watched economic reality obliterate their favorite doomsday talking point. The U.S. economy grew at an amazing 4.3% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2025, blowing past expectations and handing the Trump administration a massive win heading into 2026. “The U.S. economy grew at a much greater-than-expected pace in the third quarter, boosted by strong consumer spending, a delayed report released Tuesday showed,” CNBC reported Tuesday morning. “U.S. gross domestic product, a sum of all goods and services produced in the sprawling U.S. economy, expanded by 4.3% in the July-September period, the Commerce Department said in its initial reading of third-quarter growth. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect a gain of 3.2%.”
Maria Bartiromo underscored just how significant the number was on Fox Business. “We’re, we are looking right now at the GDP number at 4.3%,” she said. “This is the actual number, versus an estimate of 3.3%.” She then turned to Mark Tepper, CEO of Strategic Wealth Partners, for his take. Tepper framed the report as part of a broader economic trend that has consistently surprised to the upside. “So, last week, we talked about inflation coming in lower than expected,” he said. “Now, economic growth is one full percentage point faster than expected. It was supposed to come in at 3.3, came in at 4.3. This is a direct result of everything President Trump has put in place.”
Cue Democrat panic. He went on to outline several drivers behind the surge, pointing to trade policy, technological gains, and resilient consumers. “Net exports are on the rise because of Trump’s tariff policy, which is leveling the trade playing field,” Tepper explained. “AI’s increasing productivity, businesses are investing in spending, and the consumer remains strong.” He added that even more fuel is on the way. “And just think, next, I think, well, next quarter, they’ll, they’ll end up getting an extra $150 billion in refund checks that they can then, uh, deploy and spend as well.” Tepper concluded, “So, great number.”
Bartiromo agreed and looked ahead to what could come next. “Great number, 4.3%, and I’ve got to say when I see a GDP of 4.3%, I have to believe 5% is not far away,” she said, referencing a forecast made on her program the week before. “And that, of course, is what Louis Navolari told us last week, Mark, that we’re gonna see a 5% GDP handle in the first half of the year.” Tepper said the prediction is holding up well. “He, uh, looks like Nostradamus right now,” he remarked. “I mean, uh, he almost predicted that on the head.” With current momentum, Tepper said the next milestone is within reach. “Um, obviously 5% is well within our reach, especially given the consumer tailwinds I just mentioned.”
Naturally, legacy media outlets are already scrambling to frame this as “unexpected,” despite the fact that Donald Trump has been saying all along that his policies were going to work. The left wants a recession. We’re getting record growth instead.
• CNN’s Q3 2025 GDP numbers.
• Trump admin’s Q4 GDP numbers
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