To the editor:

When one asks a Donald Trump supporter what the president has accomplished, he or she invariably answers, “Well, he has a great economy.” Let’s look at some facts. President Trump has used the media to repeat his message of “having the best economy of any president ever” as he did in his State of the Union speech.

Let’s examine what is really happening. There has been a huge inequality of income in America for some time, and Trump has made it worse by his huge tax cut, which primarily benefited rich Americans and corporations. Yes, the inflation rate has been low and likewise unemployment. There is little wage growth. Many workers must have more than one job to survive. Yes, those 50% or so of citizens who have stocks have seen them rise. And individuals and corporations who received huge tax cuts are happy.

But now let’s examine the Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, which is a true measure of our economy as it is the total value of goods and services provided in a given period. Here are six presidents and the GDP during their terms, contradicting Trump’s greatest ever remark:

Lyndon Johnson, 5.3%; John Kennedy, 4.3%; Bill Clinton, 3.9%; Ronald Reagan, 3.5%; Jimmy Carter, 3.3%; and Donald Trump, 2.5%.

There are many other reasons not to vote for Trump, but let’s punch a hole in this one big lie about the economy. That’s the rest of this story.

Richard Sengpiehl,

Lawrence