Explore the economic record of presidents, starting with Harry S Truman. Updated with recent data.
To examine the record of presidents regarding economics, I gathered data from several sources and present it in an interactive visualization. The nearby illustration taken from the visualization shows the change in real Gross Domestic Product by month since the start of each president’s term. (Although GDP is reported only quarterly, I still count the months of a term.) In the nearby example, the administration of Joe Biden is highlighted.
The extent to which presidents have influence or control over these matters is a matter of debate. Opinions usually depend on whether the economy is doing well or not, and which political party is in the White House.
To access the interactive visualization, click on Visualization: Presidential data explorer.
