Presidential Comparison

Trump vs Biden

Last updated: April 24th, 2024

This page has the comparisons between Trump vs Biden across all the metrics we track. Since President Biden is still in office, Biden's performance is still current date and Trump's performance is for the same equivalent time period in Trump's presidency.

With respect to cumulative performance, Donald Trump has performed better on 1 out of the 5 metrics we track.  President Trump's highest performance difference was on the indicator NASDAQ Index performing 36.79% better than President Biden. President Trump's lowest performance difference was on GDP performing -11.72% worse than President Biden.

We highly recommend you read this article as well prior: What's the best way to interpret the facts and data on Facts First?

Trump vs. Biden stock market performance

How does Trump compare to Biden in the stock market? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized performance between Trump and Biden in the stock market. Cumulatively across the S&P 500, Trump is at 25.31% compared to Biden at 33.50% a difference of -8.19%. On the NASDAQ, Trump is at 55.86% compared to Biden at 19.06%  a difference of 36.79%. Finally, on the DOW Jones, Trump is at 20.49% compared to Biden at 24.35% a difference of -3.86%.

Index
Cumulative Performance
Donald TrumpJoe BidenDifference
NASDAQ55.86%19.06%Trump +36.79%
DOW20.49%24.35%Trump -3.86%
S&P25.31%33.50%Trump -8.19%
Index
Annualized Performance
Donald TrumpJoe BidenDifference
NASDAQ14.57%5.49%Trump +9.08%
DOW5.88%6.91%Trump -1.03%
S&P7.16%9.26%Trump -2.10%




Trump vs. Biden GDP performance

How does Trump compare to Biden with respect to GDP Growth? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized GDP growth. Cumulatively Trump is at 7.10% compared to Biden at 18.82% a difference of -11.72%

GDP
Donald TrumpJoe BidenDifference
Cumulative7.10%18.82%Trump -11.72%
Annualized2.57%6.60%Trump -4.03%


Trump vs. Biden jobs growth performance

How does Trump compare to Biden in non-farm payroll? We share the facts on cumulative and annualized jobs created. Cumulatively Trump is at 3.75% compared to Biden at 10.84% a difference of -7.09%

Indicator
Cumulative Gain/Loss
Donald TrumpJoe BidenDifference
Cumulative3.75%10.84%Trump -7.09%
Annualized1.19%3.36%Trump -2.17%


How do we calculate data for Trump vs. Biden?

We capture the data as soon as it’s available to us – stock market data after daily market close, jobs data once a month and GDP data once a quarter. After verifying the raw data, we then calculate updated cumulative and annualized performance data for the current president (the data for previous presidents have been calculated and verified in advance).

Some metrics are measured daily (like stock market performance), monthly (like jobs growth) and quarterly (like GDP growth). We start measurement of performance for a president from the first full time period after their inauguration. For stock market performance, it is the first stock market day in office. For jobs growth, it’s either first full calendar month in office (so if you are inaugurated in the middle of January, the first full month is February). This ensures a consistent starting point across all presidencies.

Also, read these articles in our Learning Center:

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