Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that his economic record as president is the best in generations. So I measured his record so far on growth and business investment with the records of his nine predecessors since JFK over comparable periods, starting with their third quarters in office. Brookings issued my results today: Trump beats the four who faced recessions in their first year in office -- nothing to brag about there. Among the other five who took office during expansions, as he did, Trump is tied in last place. Pretty lame.

I agree with a Twitter commentator today who said that US-China trade relations was giving him  whiplash after President Trump’s volte-face on ZTE.  For context, I recommend two new books with a longer view on the changes taking place in China.  The first, “The End of an Era” by Carl Minzer is truly a must-read for any China watcher. Devin Stewart at the Carnegie Council conducted a wonderful interview with Prof Minzer, which I’ve included below. 

How long should it take for stimulus from the tax cut to appear? Although the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act became law only five months ago, liberal pundits are already complaining that “folks on Main Street have yet to receive their invitations to the party.” Even GOP Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), at one point considered a leader of the party, has fretted that “there’s no evidence whatsoever that the [corporate tax cut] has been massively poured back into the American worker.”

Most weekends in America, long lines form outside cineplexes as ardent fans of DC and Marvel Comics catch the latest iterations on the big screen. Since the dawn of motion pictures, Americans love to see superheroes come to the rescue – just in time.
 

The IMF/World Bank held their Spring Meeting in Washington. The IMF issued the semi-annual updates of its two major reports-the World Economic Outlook (WEO) and Global Financial Stability Report (GSFR).  In these reports, the IMF remained upbeat about the short-term outlook for the global economy, but warned about rising downside risks, especially in the medium- to long-term.

I just published article on the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru.  Although the article was written before the missile strike in Syria, and doesn't capture the impact of the action on the summit agenda, I believe that the basic analysis of the conservative trend in the region is consistent with what happened at the summit, and the article's arguments about the agenda for the Americas may continue to be of use to you as a point of reference. This article was originally published by the Global Americans.