Here’s why people have fond memories of the Trump economy
CNN
In 2018, Jonathan and Trista Schmier felt the economy was so strong that they could take a big risk. They quit their property management jobs and opened a restaurant, Rustic Burger, in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
In 2018, Jonathan and Trista Schmier felt the economy was so strong that they could take a big risk. They quit their property management jobs and opened a restaurant, Rustic Burger, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Trista Schmier, who had long dreamed of owning a restaurant, designed the menu, which offered 20 types of burgers. The couple, who are in their 40s and have two sons, had no trouble filling jobs, which paid $9 an hour to start, and food was affordable enough for them to offer a burger, side and 20-oz drink for $9.99. The following year, they opened a second location and were in the process of opening a third when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. In 2022, the Schmiers felt the economy was so troubled that they had to shutter the restaurants and go back to property management. It was hard to find reliable workers, and they couldn’t afford to pay $14 an hour to compete with applicants’ other offers. Food prices had skyrocketed — chicken wings cost $93 a case, up from $40; buns were 87 cents each, up from 33 cents; and Angus beef was $1.66 a patty, up from $1.08. “We couldn’t keep raising our prices,” said Jonathan Schmier, who received backlash when they began charging $10.99 for the burger, side and drink. “The customers got very, very upset.” The couple are among the millions of Americans who feel the economy was stronger under former President Donald Trump and want him back in the White House so that prosperity can return. Poll after poll show that voters have more faith in Trump’s ability to handle the economy than President Joe Biden’s. Some 51% of registered voters said they trust Trump more to handle the economy, compared to 32% who trust Biden more, a CNN poll taken in late June found.
Nippon Steel is expected to re-file its application for a national security review by American regulators of its $15 billion takeover bid of US Steel, sources familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday, buying Japan’s largest steelmaker an additional 90 days to close its acquisition of an American rival after political opposition emerged in an election year.
So far, the attacks that targeted Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah members through their pagers have had devastating consequences. At least nine people, including an eight-year-old girl, were killed, and at least 2,800 were wounded. Over 150 of those injured are in critical condition, according to the Lebanese health minister.