The contraction in the economy in the first three months of 2025 was slightly smaller than originally reported, a government update showed, but the underlying message was the same: Ongoing trade disputes are hampering U.S. growth.
Gross domestic product fell at an annual rate of 0.2% in the first quarter instead of 0.3% as originally reported, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said Thursday. GDP is the official scorecard of the economy.
The economy officially shrank for the first time in three years because of a surge in imports that pushed the trade deficit to record highs. Trade deficits subtract from GDP.
Slower consumer spending was another factor.
It's cool guys! We had two consecutive quarters of economic decline and found out that's not a recession because (checks paper) because I said so.
So everything is fine forever and it's actually good if the economy shrinks!