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(AKA the unemployment rate, cost of eggs, gas prices, inflation, the Dow Jones, whether citizens received a stimulus check, and Trump's overall approval rating.)
Here's how the 79-year-old's economy fared in September 2025:
Note: Data on inflation is released a few weeks after each month has ended, so our reports will look at the previous month's numbers.
This is an Economy Hate Watch first, y'all. Because of the government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics hasn'treleased September's unemployment numbers. We're listing it as TBD for now.
There are several unemployment rate estimates circulating, particularly as mass layoffs continue to affect different industries. So we'll keep you updated. (Hopefully next month. 🥲) But if these layoffs are any indication, it's probably not looking so good.
Does anyone talk about eggs anymore, or do we have too much other stuff to worry about? You know, like 42 million Americans being set to lose their foodbenefits next month.
If you're committed to the great egg evolution, though, this month's prices dropped to $3.49 per grade A dozen.
BuzzFeed
According to the BLS, grocery prices are up 29 percent since 2020, and beef is one of the products leading the charge.
We're slowly inching toward a pound of 100% ground beef being a dollar more on average than it was in December. Right now, it'll cost you around $6.33, and the avian flu can't be blamed this time.
The price of gas has been more consistent than most men. Between Joe Biden leaving office and now, there hasn't been much of a budge. Instead, the number seems to volley between the same 10 cents nationwide.
If you're lucky enough to catch a three-ish dollar charge, you can fill up on $3.293 per gallon on average in the US.
BuzzFeed
WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT. Inflation has reached its highest peak since Donald Trump took office, and we've officially passed the inflation rate that Biden left office on.
Yes, according to Trump's own Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation was at 3% in September.
According to the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity's most recent study on the subject, about 60% of households don't make enough to meet the minimum quality of life.
But stocks are up. So yay, I guess?
BuzzFeed
We're 10 months into the year, and I'm STILL seeing MAGA voters tagging Trump directly on Facebook and X to ask about stimulus checks. Who's going to tell them?
BuzzFeed
It is truly beyond me how we as a nation ever crawled our way out of the 37 percent approval range, yet here we are. Forty percent of the US approves of the job Trump's doing, Gallup reports, and the other 60% is largely asking, "How?" and"Why?"
Those are our stats for September. Now, let's look at comments we received on our last edition in a little section I like to call ✨Comment Corner✨.
"Somehow paying more for everything is now patriotic," is probably one of the most concise and clear ways I've seen someone put this conundrum. Conservatives who understand how tariffs work appear to be honored by the idea of spending more on the same item that cost significantly less last year. Is it loyalty? Or a commitment to the bit?
➡️ Want your comment to be featured in next month's edition? Let us know your thoughts here.
BONUS: THAT was dark. Here's some light.
If you subscribe to this newsletter, then you're either a doomscroller like me, or you'd like me to do the doomscrolling for you (which means you're still ingesting the doom). Either way, neither of us can look away from the train wreck, and it's...dark.
Though I certainly don't have the power to change anything on a large scale, I've found light in small community projects. If you're interested, here's an easy one: birthday boxes for your local food pantry.
Alexa Lisitza
Recently, I called my local food pantry and learned that people regularly ask if there's a box of cake mix on hand for their child's birthday (or their own). So, I put together 12 shelf-stable birthday boxes with everything a family needs to whip up a cake.
These include: a baking pan (which doubles as a storage container for packaging), a box of cake mix, candles, frosting, a whisk, and a can of Sprite. Yes, Sprite. A full can replaces oil, eggs, and water, while adding a kick of lemon to the dessert.
EVERYTHING was from the dollar store. Meaning a single package costs around $7.50 total.
(And before you ask — yes, I did double check. Most families who utilize my local food bank have an oven at home. They just need a little extra help with the groceries.)
It's a simple and relatively affordable project, but volunteers were thrilled. If you have any ideas for next month's community project to help ignite a little light while I dig through the dark for you, let me know in the comments!
Alexa Lisitza
Want to know if Trump's economy is actually doing as well as he promised? Subscribe to theEconomy Hate Watchnewsletter and never miss our monthly update.
