ECOMONY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Forget Robert Mueller. The greatest threat to President Donald Trump’s re-election bid may not be the slew of investigations closing in on his Oval Office but a possible economic slowdown. And the president knows it. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell again Monday [12-17-18], the latest dip in the roller coaster markets amid the strain of Trump’s trade war, rising interest rates and worries about a slowing global economy. Trump, who has tied his political fortunes to the stock market in an unprecedented fashion, has nervously watched Wall Street, keeping an eye on the cable television ticker and barking at his aides for updates. And while he continues to talk up America’s financial might, he has repeatedly and publicly rebuked the chairman of the Federal Reserve for interest rate increases he feels could slow the economy. Trump made his feelings clear again Tuesday [12-18-18], a day before the Fed is expected to raise its key interest rate for the fourth time this year.”
–Associated Press, “For Trump, the Economy Is a Potential 2020 Storm Cloud,” The New York Times online, December 17, 2018