Trump says GDP decreased because of ‘Democrat shutdown’

HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — President Donald Trump said Friday that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) – the value of goods and services produced in it – decreased because of the fall government shutdown.

He also said that Democrats caused the closure and another current “mini” shutdown.

“The Democrat Shutdown cost the U.S.A. at least two points in GDP. That’s why they are doing it, in mini form, again,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “No Shutdowns!”

Data released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), an agency within the Department of Commerce, shows that GDP increased in the last quarter of 2025 at an annual rate of 1.4%. It grew at a 4.4% rate in the third quarter.

BEA said that the deceleration of the fourth quarter’s GDP was the result of less government spending and fewer exports. The fall shutdown resulted in a 1-point reduction in the figure, according to the agency.

That shutdown, which lasted 43 days, began after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on funding the government and extending healthcare subsidies. The full government hasn’t closed for a lack of appropriations since, although some parts of it have shut down for various reasons.

Currently, the Department of Homeland Security has less funding, although some of its agencies have maintained operations through previously passed legislation.

Trump has told Republican lawmakers that shutdowns have hurt the party, and he attributed the GOP’s November election losses, at various levels of government, to the fall closure.

“I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor – negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor,” the president said.

Gallup found in November that 36% of Americans approved of Trump, a five-point decline from his October rating. The same share of adults expressed support for his handling of the economy, which Americans were more positive about earlier in the year.

The Trump administration has sought to shrink the federal government to promote the private sector. Its Department of Government Efficiency, the former White House team led by billionaire Elon Musk, helped eliminate hundreds of thousands of positions and terminate contracts across industries in a push blessed by Trump.

“We’ve taken back the money and reduced our debt to fight inflation and other things,” the president said during his State of the Union address last year. “Taking back a lot of that money, we got it just in time. This is just the beginning.”

Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.