Why Trump's claim of falling food stamp use might not mean the economy is improving

Trump has turned to a new economic indicator in his push to convince Americans that the economy is strong: the number of people getting federal food benefits.

President Donald Trump has recently turned to a new economic indicator in his push to convince Americans that his policies are boosting the economy: the number of people receiving federal food benefits.

“In nine months, we’ve lifted over 600,000 Americans off food stamps,” he said Tuesday at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington.

A few days earlier, Trump cited the figure at the McDonald’s Impact Summit, saying, “It’s really because we really have a strong economy.” And last month, he also highlighted the number at a gathering of business executives in South Korea.

But a deeper dive into the data paints a more complex picture. Even though fewer people are receiving federal food assistance, lower-wage workers continue to face a slowing job market and persistent inflation cutting into their wage growth, researchers and economists said. At the same time, food banks say they have been seeing growing demand, suggesting a continued struggle among people to be able to put food on the table.

Data on the number of people receiving food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to as food stamps, is available only through June, and figures from that month are still subject to revisions, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. But comparing the number of people receiving food assistance in January — when Trump came into office — to June shows a decline of 800,000 enrollees, or around 2%, which the White House attributed to his policies.