Markets

Trump touts the economy, says US is ‘setting records on virtually every front’  

Key Points
  • The president says the economy is “probably the best our country has ever done” and there has been “tremendous value created since the election.”
  • Trump also highlights bullish comments on consumer spending by Target CEO Brian Cornell in another tweet.
  • Following a guilty verdict and a guilty plea from his former advisors this week, Trump told Fox News the stock market would plummet and “everybody would be very poor” if he were impeached.
President Donald Trump 
Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

There's no questioning how Donald Trump would rate the economy for his time in office. The president took to Twitter Friday amid renewed legal troubles to highlight a few things going right for the U.S.

"Our Economy is setting records on virtually every front - Probably the best our country has ever done. Tremendous value created since the Election," the president said in a tweet Friday. "The World is respecting us again! Companies are moving back to the U.S.A."

Tweet

Since the election, the is up more than 33 percent, advancing a historic bull run that began in 2009. Unemployment has fallen to 3.9 percent to the around the lowest since 1969, and the economy expanded at a 4.1 percent pace last quarter.

Earlier Friday, Trump referenced Target CEO Brian Cornell's optimistic comments about consumer spending during an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box."

"Target CEO raves about the Economy. 'This is the best consumer environment I've seen in my career.' A big statement from a top executive. But virtually everybody is saying this, & when our Trade Deals are made, & cost cutting done, you haven't seen anything yet!," Trump tweeted at 4:57 a.m. ET Friday.

The retailer's shares surged after reporting second-quarter results that beat on earnings, revenue and comparable store sales. Target also reported a huge jump in foot traffic.

Tweet

The stock market barely reacted this week after news that two of Trump's former advisors face prison sentences. His longtime attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts related to tax fraud, excessive campaign contributions, making false statements to a financial institution and unlawful corporate contributions. Former campaign chief Paul Manafort was found guilty Tuesday of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failing to file foreign bank account reports.

Cohen implicated the president in a scheme to silence two women from making public their claims about allegedly having affairs with Trump. But according to traders, the market right now expects Trump to avoid impeachment unless the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation links Trump directly to collusion with Russia to sway the 2016 election.

In an interview that aired Thursday, Trump told Fox News that the stock market would tank if he were removed from office.

"If I ever got impeached, I think the market would crash. I think everybody would be very poor," the president said. "I got rid of regulations. The tax cut was a tremendous thing."