By Peter Navarro | RealClearMarkets | April 30, 2026
Today’s advance estimate of Q1 GDP tells us the Trump economy is growing. Business investment is surging. The private sector is rebuilding. And the federal government is finally being put on a diet.
Real GDP rose at a 2.0 percent annual rate in the first quarter. That may not sound spectacular. But look under the hood and the picture is far stronger than the headline.
Nonresidential fixed investment jumped at a 10.4 percent annual rate. That is the strongest performance since 2023 and a flashing green signal for productivity, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, energy, logistics, and industrial capacity.
For years, America lived off debt, imports, asset inflation, and government spending. That was the Biden-Harris model: borrow more, spend more, regulate more, import more, and call it prosperity.
President Trump’s model is different. Produce more. Build more. Invest more. Manufacture more. Bring supply chains home. Reward capital formation. Make America the best place in the world to build a factory, deploy machinery, train workers, and dominate the technologies of the future.
That is exactly what this GDP report shows.