President Donald Trump said the U.S. has entered what he called the "Trump economy," pointing to 5.6% gross domestic product growth and $18 trillion in investment flowing into the country as signs of accelerating momentum, Breitbart reported.
In a pre-Super Bowl interview with NBC News, Trump told anchor Tom Llamas that the economy is already operating on his terms and predicted that 2026 will outperform 2025.
"I'd say we're there now," Trump said when asked when the nation entered the Trump economy.
He cited strong fourth-quarter growth estimates, claiming the economy expanded 5.6% despite a 42-day government shutdown.
"I call it the Democrat shutdown," Trump said. "Because of that, I lost a point and a half. I would have been at a seven GDP, which hasn't been seen—I don't know—ever, maybe."
The Atlanta Federal Reserve projected 5.4% GDP growth for the fourth quarter in January, though its most recent estimate as of Monday stands at 4.2%.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett previously estimated the shutdown cost the economy $15 billion per week and reduced quarterly growth by 1.0 to 1.5 percentage points.
Trump said the economic surge is being driven by massive capital inflows, claiming $18 trillion is being invested across the U.S. economy.
"We have factories and plants and thousands of businesses being built all over the country," Trump said, adding that he recently spoke about the economy with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "Nobody has ever seen anything like what's happening right now in America."
Pressed on when Americans would see tangible results, Trump said construction is already widespread and manufacturing facilities are actively being built.
"You're already seeing it in construction," he said. "Car plants are coming in from Canada, coming in from Mexico. They're leaving Germany, Japan — they're all coming into the United States."
Trump said the facilities are under construction now and will begin opening over the next year to year and a half, reinforcing his prediction that economic growth will accelerate further in 2026.
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